You Could Not Step Twice Into The Same River
by SilverCrystal029
Summary: "It's always moving." Rogue bonds with a New Orleans vagrant when she's on probation from the X-Men. The chance encounter changes both their lives, and neither are the same as their red strings of fate cross. ROMY
1. Twice

_Beginning of summertime..._

* * *

_You could not step twice into the same river..._

_Even if they are infinite..._

He had been tracking her like prey for half a year, before he made a move. Streaks of silver hair haunted his mind. He used to have to find his way around the earth to keep up with the resident goth. The X-Men were never in one spot for long. She wasn't so goth anymore, either. She was even harder to categorize in the twilight years of her teens. She still kept the cropped, skunky hair (though sometimes she just brushed it, not straightened it). She had been hanging around the school campus, not going with them on missions.

Remy wondered why silently from afar, just out of her sight. In the shadows, behind the wall, his jacket shrugged around him. Always with her. Always watching. Her shadow. She used to be sharp after he took her down south. He tried to surprise her a few times after, and he found he couldn't. He wasn't sure why, he told himself she was useful. And she was, but he couldn't lie and say that was the only reason. Few things left Remy LeBeau smitten, and the Rogue was one of them. He hated New York. It was a filthy, stinking city to him. The antithesis of the south. Yet, he kept finding himself there.

He watched, hoping the clawed mutant with the nose didn't pick up his scent. He was perfectly hidden from his angle, watching as she talked with the brown haired leader of the X-Men. His brow was creased, but his jaw set and firm. Remy scoffed to himself, he was such a square. His arms were crossed over his broad chest. Whatever she was asking, he wouldn't give in.

_xxx_

"Ah can do _every_ Danger Room course in my sleep, Scott." She frowned at him, her tears an unshed shield in her eyes. They didn't move the college student, his face firm. "Ah'm _fine_. Ah've_ been_ fine. Ah'm ready to join my team. Ah'm _losin' it_ in this place, cramped up with a bunch of_ yahoos._" Her face softened, and the older mutant began to feel bad. He knew it'd been difficult to be separated from them like this. As a friend, he wanted to help her. Desperately. Especially after the couple of months she'd had. But as her _leader_, he couldn't allow that.

"It's not about that," He countered in frustration. He wanted to make an exception, but rules were rules. That's why he was the leader of the X-Men. "I know you're the best fighter on the team,_ especially_ now." He sighed, his face grim. "But, the professor says you_ won't_ talk to him." Her skin paled even more, if possible, as her grey eyes narrowed. "I _know_ you've had enough people rooting around in your head for a lifetime," He told her sympathetically. "But we cannot take chances on the field."

The team dynamic was terrible without her, Rogue was a founding X-Team member and her abilities had been missed lately. They had been rotating other mutants in, but it wasn't working well. He can see the hurt and rage in her grey eyes. There was nothing she hated worse than being treated with kid gloves, or told she couldn't do something. "You don't_ trus'_ me," Her voice is sharp, it cuts the him like glass. Time was marching on, but suddenly she was that bristly underclassman who snapped at everyone.

"That's not true," Scott countered quickly, holding up a finger. He had mastered the art of arguing with her. He had been the girl's first friend at the institute, convinced there was more to the Rogue than what met the eye. And he'd been right, but those things didn't come without complications. Even some of her closest friends took care to avoid her now, cooped up with cabin fever and angstier than she'd been in years.

The sky was cloudless, sweat trailed down both their brows as they stood in a stalemate. New York was unbearable in the summer, and poor Rogue had to wear more clothes than most for safety. "Then you'd let me back on the _team_." Her voice was small, hurt. Underneath the anger, the rage, the attitude; there was a hurt girl. Scott knew Rogue's M.O of trying to hurt people before they hurt her, he understood it.

"It's not _about_ trust!" He told her angrily, his brow furrowed. "You disappeared_ across the country_, it took Logan almost two months to track yo-" She stormed away from him, back inside the mansion. She was tired of hearing about it, it was everyone's favorite reason to forbid her from doing something. She had had her worst psyche blackout, and _nobody_ would forget it. They were always bringing these things up, like they didn't upset and embarrass her enough. She pulled the door behind her with a little too much strength.

It slammed, and fell right off the hinges as the girl hovered away. Scott sighed, it was the second time that week it'd happened. Another reason she couldn't be on the field was that she had trouble regulating her new found strength. '_What're we gonna do...'_ He heard Jean walk beside him, the door soon levitating. She handed him a hammer with a dazzling grin. He took it, reluctantly. "Doors can be fixed, Scott." She reminded him gently. "Other things," She looked inside the mansion with a sad face. "They'll take a little more time."

She wrapped her slender arms around him, feeling his unrest at the state of his friends. "I wish I could just _help_ her. I'd do it." She'd never forbidden the professor to enter her mind before. Whatever she went through, whatever it took for her to recover had been a lot. He wanted to understand, but she couldn't join the team without more sessions. His glasses glinted ruby in the sun, catching his girlfriend's eye. She held him tighter, telepathically massaging his mind.

"I _know_, Scott. You would've been the first to help." Jean gave him a knowing smile. "I know it's hard, but she'll be okay. I'm certain." Jeans words gave him comfort, she had a habit of being right._ 'Psychics,'_ He mused. God, he loved her.

"I just feel bad leaving her here. It feels like the wrong thing to do." Jean bit back a grin and tried not to say too much.

"The world needs the X-Men, Scott. Rogue will be with us, again."

* * *

_"What do ya mean she's gone, Chuck?" The wolverine shaped man's gnarled mitts were curled into fists. The past few weeks had been pandemonium. Mystique finally got revenge on the superhero group for years of besting her. She kidnapped Rogue and took her adopted daughter on a joyride. A joyride that tore half of Bayville to the ground. That was all the X-Men could figure out. __The aftermath had left half the mansion in disarray, her powers malfunctioning, and her new abilities destructive. _

_The footage was on every news station, pictures plastered in every self respecting paper. There had been two conferences held about mutants. Hank and Charles had been across the world more than they had been in the institute. But even this chaos was familiar to the X-Men, and slowly, they got through it. They found their new normal, all except one of them._

_"The damming in her mind," Xavier lamented worriedly. In his hands, he held Cerebro. "I'm afraid it wasn't strong enough." Rogue's mind was under more strain than it was during Apocalypse. The telepath did what he had to do, but he couldn't bare to put her mangled mind through any extra pain. She'd begged him to stop, and he obliged. Unfortunately, his work had not been enough. _

_"So, she's running around as-" _

_"Yes," He cut in, his mouth pushed into a grim line. Logan said nothing more, he grabbed his leather jacket and headed straight out the door without another word. _

_Scott paced angrily behind the paraplegic, his face stoic. "We need a plan," Scott began. Xavier held up a hand. "He's always rushing off, never a plan. That's how we go-" _

_"He's the only one who will find her, Scott. We must wait." _

* * *

They had left her, again. She was used to it now. She couldn't describe the experience of the last time Charles Xavier went in her mind, but it was so painful; unearthed things so unholy she refused to have her mind touched again. She couldn't withstand anymore. _'Neither one of us should have to go through that.'_ She was lounged under a tree, the shade helping her fall into a restless sleep.

The X-Men were on a mission, nobody else at the mansion bothered her much these days. She spent her summer laying around, praying for peace in her mind.

Remy stood over her, speechless. Just like in New Orleans, he found himself blindsided by her beauty. She looked so sweet and small out of uniform. and with no makeup on. She was attractive, even with the dark facade. But her features underneath were works of art. He remembers seeing her for the first time when the bayou washed her makeup off, her dark clothes clinging to milky skin...

He shook his head. This needed to be fast. This was a school a mutants, someone would sense him soon. But he was perturbed that _she_ did not. She used to be sharp, nothing got by her. For such a powerful mutation, the girl had to be hard. She was a holy terror to fight, sharpening her hand to hand skills in case there are no mutants to absorb. _'What got you sleepin' so hard, petite?'_ He wondered. He fought the urge to touch a silvery, blonde strand of hair.

He had a mission, his new employer had made their request. He had no time to stare at girls, no matter how pretty. The wind blew, and she moved a little as grass tickled the pale skin of her wrist. Her summer outfit of choice was a dark green, tight shirt, a white scarf around her neck, and black capris. Her lips were parted in a pucker as she snored quietly, auburn hair splashed over her face. His wild, chestnut hair spasmed in the wind. It had grown long and unruly since the last time he'd seen the girl. Seen any of them.

He stooped down against better judgement, his khaki trench coat getting into the dirt. Magenta armor covered his well defined chest. The black, lyrcra part of his suit covered the sides of his face like Jean's X-Suit. Despite the sweltering heat, he wasn't hot. He felt perfect as he gazed at the fellow southerner. He reached out and fixed her hair, prompting two, stormy eyes to open.

She grabbed his wrist with lightning quick reflexes. Remy groans as he feels his wrist cracking._ 'Weird,'_ He thought. '_She strong as de juggernaut.'_

"_What are ya doin' here?_" Her breath rolled out hot on his face, he fought the urge to take a big whiff.

Red and black eyes watched her carefully. "Here to kidnap ya,_ o'course._" He answered, his grin hanging off his face. "I saw ya lil friens go on an adventure, _non?_ Leave _petite_ behind. Come wit Remy." His mouth hung agape when the girl stood, dangling the man high above her head. With ease. She stared up at him like a lioness with her prey._ 'Somethin' definitely changed. She got whole different powers, merde-_' Her eyes were simmering as she hurled the mutant as far away from her as she could.

He righted himself in the air, landing on his feet like a cat as he stared at the girl in horror. "Tryna _kill_ Remy?" Rogue grinned, cracking her knuckles menacingly. Silver and dark hair tousled in the wind as they gazed at each other. If he didn't know any better, he'd say there was a slightly sinister look in her eye. She'd definitely changed since the last time he saw her. Remy was a little scared, but he was also intrigued. _'She de only fille who keep dis dog on his toes_,' He thought, wondering what she'd do next.

"What if Ah _am_?" She drawled, her feet rising off the ground. She had gone weeks without using her new powers, what better way to prove she was ready to be back on the team than by hog tying Remy? The cajun watched in shock as Rogue took to the air like she'd always flown. "Ya r_eally_ thought you'd kidnap me, huh? _Again?_" She walked forward, an unreadable expression on her face. Remy wanted to flee and to run towards her.

She looked into his eyes and saw a thousand lifetimes, all in her head. _"You could not step twice into the same river, Remy."_ The grit was gone from her voice. She was no longer threatening him, she said as though it made her sad. Like she wanted to to go back, do it all again. Her feet were planted firmly back on the ground. The amusement was gone. She would not hurt him, but it was clear she would not be taken anywhere against her will, either.

Remy shifted his weight in silver and black boots. "Ya kind look like ya _wanna_ be stolen, if Remy can be honest." She cocked a hand on her hip and glared at him.

"Like _you_ would know what _Ah_ want?" She wrinkled her nose and he began to creep closer. He was starting to forget all about his mission. The object he had been hired to retrieve. Thieve. He had a new objective, the Rogue's heart.

"Well_, sure_ Remy do. You're a woman." Rage flashed in the girl's eyes before melting into an even expression. He flashed his teeth like a crocodile. "Remy know all about them." Rogue peered closely at him before her face broke into a wry smile.

"Ah _almost_ got mad, but that would require me to expect different,_ Pepe Le Pew_." He grinned at her, following as she started to retreat somewhere else. He ran around and blocked her way, taking advantage of not being discovered yet. He held his hands up and slyly flexed a little charm. The girl was smart, and he had mistakenly told her about this part of his mutation. But if he was careful, she wouldn't notice.

"Okay, _okay_. I do know what ya want. Remy can't kidnap ya, _can_ Remy ask fo' yo help. And," He looked her up and down, her pale skin like a strobe in the sun. Her skin grew red and splotchy from the heat, and maybe something else. "And ya _company._" Her earlobes were burning now. She opened her mouth, words failing to come out. "Jus' say yes_, chére_." She clamped her mouth shut, scowling. "Why don'cha try somethin' different?"

She hated the way he undressed her with his eyes, fantasizing about skin he'd never touch. She hated that she secretly loved it, wishing he would always look at her that way... She shook her head. "And _why_ would Ah do that?" He shrugged.

"Remy a man in need." He purred, eyeing the scarf hovering over her cleavage. He reached out and took the fabric in his fingers, making her squeal in surprise. Her face glowed an even deeper shade of red as she tugged it back. "Ain' dat what you _X-Geeks_ do, help people? _Non?_" Rogue rolled her eyes, stalking past him.

"Not the way _you_ mean, and I'm not an X-Man, anyways." She gestured around her. She tried to hide the fact it bothers her that she's not with them, but he hears it. He keeps his cool, knowing if he pounces on that vulnerability she'd fly away.

"Aw, ya don' mean that." Her resounding glare made him change the subject. "Well, if ya have no obligations why_ won't ya_ come wit Remy, den? Not like you missing much here..." Some new recruits were playing twister in the grass and drinking smoothies. Others were playing a spirited game of Mutie Ball with Hank coaching. He had asked Rogue four times if she'd wanted to join, but she said Mutie Ball was for kids. Which she was no longer.

She looked around her, wishing she'd thought to bring her sunglasses out.

"What would _Ah_ even get out of it," She asked, looking him up and down. He swallowed, his tongue clumsy suddenly in his mouth. "Don't confuse the X-Men with me bein' altruistic. What do _you_ have to offer?" The wind blew between them, pointing out how long his shaggy hair was getting. If he let it go much longer, it'd be her length. He smirked, not missing a beat.

"What do ya_ want_?" He asked her, their noses almost touching. Rogue can feel an electric charge in the heat pulsing off their bodies. She said nothing, she just breathed as she stared into his eyes. Red and black. She knew better, she knew he was probably charming the pants off of her right now. She didn't care. At least it was _something_. She didn't want to lay around the mansion anymore.

"I'm bored." She answered, holding her nose up. Remy cocked an eyebrow.

"_Bored?_" He repeated. She nodded, hugging herself.

"I'm not on the active team, I've found there's nothin' to do." She crossed her arms and stared at mutant skeptically. It was kind of nice to be around another southerner, anyone, really. "Cure my boredom. If you entertain me, if Ah have_ fun._.." A smile slowly spread over her face, and Remy found it contagious. "Ah'll help you, Remy LeBeau." She leaned up and whispered in his ear.

The hairs stood up on his neck. He grabbed her wrist and she froze. "Ya _swear_ it? Don' make no promise ya can't keep, girl." She smirked at him.

"You really think you'll get_ me_ to have fun?" She walked towards the school. "That's cute." She patted him on the head with brown gloves. The cajun huffed, fighting the urge to follow her.

"Go get yaself ready,_ chére_." He called to her. "Meet me back here, sundown." She waved her hand dismissively, but he knew she'd be there.

* * *

Remy promised to go to church the following Sunday when sundown came, the X-Men still hadn't returned, and Rogue actually appeared. He had managed to be tasked to take her on a date, he'd been waiting ever since New Orleans to take her out properly. When he saw her, he realized he should always expect the unexpected when it came to her. She showed up chewing bubble gum with red sunglasses on her forehead.

She was wearing a striped belly shirt with a massive 'X' on it and tight, leather pants. Remy found his eyes tracing curves and lines, studying Rogue's silhouette in awe. She smiled smugly as he admired her, waiting a minute before speaking. "Where we goin',_ Swamp Rat_?" She looked amazing, but he found himself studying her scarf. He'd thought earlier they could put an item to good use, but now he was certain that was the message the girl wanted to send.

He had forgotten the favor, suddenly there were so many pleasurable, possible outcomes to this encounter. _'Don't mess dis up, homme.'_ He thought, swallowing hard as he tried not to stare. She shrugged into a cropped jacket and stared at him expectantly.

"It's a surprise," He told her, grabbing her wrist and leading her quickly off the campus. He feels her hesitation, it feels weird to run. She manages, stumbling clumsily behind him down a hill into the night. Why, when her body can fly? He wants to ask how this happened, but he knows better. Tonight was about fun. He even heard her laugh. She might've smiled once or twice in New Orleans, but he doesn't remember her laugh. He resolved to hear it more often.

They trek through the summer night ended at an abandoned factory. Rogue looked around, her heart slamming in her chest. The suspicious, X-Man in her told her this was a trap. Mystique or Magneto would be waiting, like she had ambushed her last time. _'No,_' Rogue thought, wrenching away from Remy violently. He frowned, jumping across from her defensively. He was just thinking how nice the walk had been when he spooked her.

_"Easy_," He said, eyeing her carefully. "What now?" He asked her gently. Her head whipped around, waiting for enemies to come slinking from the shadows, for Apocalypse to appear.

"This feels like a trap," She hissed, her eyes black with fear. "Tell me what it is, _who's there!_ Or I'm not goin'!" She stared at him, her face locked in a scowl. This is what happened every time she was in a new situation. She had every right to be paranoid, but suspicion is the only thing that has ever protected her in her life. He thought about Mystique before he responded.

"I can see how you though dat," He tried, edging closer. "Remy_ have_ kidnapped you before." Slowly, the tension eased out of her body. "I apologize for that, really." She dropped her gaze, guilty her behavior had wormed an apology out of him. He reached into his jacket and revealed a gold pocket watch. "Remy gon' take you to the secret party in dere, we get entrance wit dis clock." He explained. "_D'accord?_" He reached for her wrist again, and she let him.

He took her to the bustling building, the bouncer inspecting Remy's watch. He moved aside and they entered the bustling party. There were people dressed like normal college students, steampunks, different areas of time all around them. A girl in a mask grabbed Rogue and a man grabbed Remy, directing them to separate sides of the warehouse. A plush, maroon and gold rug had been rolled over the floor of the factory, old machinery repurposed for tables and furniture.

Rogue stared across the room, searching men's faces for Remy's features. She found him easily, his eyes giving him away beneath the mask. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her the entire time. There were girls in platform dance shoes, lingeries and Marie Antoinette cosplay all beside her. But his eyes were hopelessly deadlocked in hers.

He couldn't wait to cross the room and dance with her, he didn't even know how to dance. He hated the socialite part of New Orleans, he wanted nothing to do with it. But now, he wanted Rogue to be his debutante. He wanted to dance with her, and only her, making every other man there jealous. The longer he looked at her, the more he wanted her. He'd never had a woman make him feel this way.

When the music finally begins, it's ballroom. They floated into each others arms, people dancing around them. Remy didn't say a word, he just grinned down at her in the candle lit factory. He held out his hands and she grabbed them, holding tight as he started to lead the dance. Rogue leaned instinctually into her flight abilities, making her body light as a feather.

He twirled her like they were Belle and the Beast, erupting into laughter as he spun her around. He was surprised and delighted when Rogue laughed too, planting her feet firmly on the ground and pulling herself close against Remy. He wrapped his hand around her back like a gentleman, and they began to spin around the floor. Suddenly, all those lessons his mother forced on him were being used. Rogue's body was malleable, like clay. As she stared into Remy's eyes, never breaking contact with hers, she would do anything he wanted.

The dances around them came to a halt, stopping to witness the beautiful moment happening in front of them. Rogue may as well have had on a gown, and Remy a tuxedo. It was a fairytale dance, the reason parties like this were thrown in the first place. When the music ended, the room burst into an uproar. Rogue almost shot to the air out of reflex, but Remy kept her anchored to the ground. "_S'okay_, chére." He laughed. "Dey jus' clappin'." Rogue looked around, he was right.

She felt embarrassed, now, that she realized the whole room had watched._ 'I didn't see anything but Remy,'_ She blushed just from the thought. _'What's wrong with me?'_ She touched her hand to her flushed cheek. She looked up at him, a curious look in her eye.

"Truth or dare!" She asked him, staring up into his face. He chuckled in surprise, thinking quickly.

"Truth." She pouted a little, as though she were disappointed. _'What she want Remy to do?_' He thought, his mind getting naughty. She put a gloved finger to her mouth in thought.

"What's ya middle name, no_ lyin!"_ Remy cocked an eyebrow.

"Don'cha got my memories?" He questioned, eyeing the party for alcohol or cigarettes. "Can'tcha jus' look at_ dem_?" Rogue glowered, and he was kicking himself.

"Where's the fun in that?" She asked, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. He noticed she tended to do that when she was insecure. _'If only she knew how cute it was.' "Besides, my memories are not a fun place right now." He nodded sympathetically._

"D'accord. It's Etienne." Her mouth dropped open in surprise.

"_Etienne_?" She repeated with a laugh, and he frowned.

"Easy,_ chére._ Don' break a man heart." She smiled.

"I've heard worse." She said with a shrug. She plucked a shot off a nearby shot table and took it without making a face. He watched her, impressed as she set it on the counter.

"Okay," He grabbed one for himself and took it, hissing with satisfaction after. He wiped his mouth with back of his hand as he stared into her eyes. "Now, _yours."_ Rogue's eyes shot up.

"My _middle name?_ Never." She folded her arms, the looked on her face final. Remy backed off literally and metaphorically. Rogue sighed. "_Anna-Marie._" She looked at him, realizing she'd never told him her name. He searched her eyes as she spoke. "Anna-Marie is my, my name." She told him, feeling strangely vulnerable. Like she made something real by revealing that to him.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and she didn't shrug it away. "Beautiful name,_ fille_. Perfect." She looked into his face and wondered when she would've kissed him if she could. Maybe all the way back when she first met him, on a mission. She blushes when she remembers she_ has_ kissed him, albeit, under mind control.

"Aren't ya gonna ask_ me_?" He realized he'd been absent-mindedly rubbing her rings through black gloves. And she'd been letting him.

"Ask what?"

"Truth or dare?" His smile broadened, and grew mischievous.

"Forgive me, truth or dare,_ chére_?" She placed her knuckles on her hips.

"_Dare._" Guys around them begin to cheer, and Rogue puts her sunglasses on. Remy laughs heartily.

"Okay, den. I dare ya to take a shot!" Rogue rolled her eyes, grabbing the nearest blue shot and downing it instantly._ "Rogue, wait-_" He watched as the shot of cyan liquid disappeared. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "That was _absinthe_, girl!" He reported in disbelief. Rogue shrugged, seriously doubting she could get very drunk anymore.

"You dared me." She responded, an aggressive rock song playing next. It was sludgy, heavily mixed and produced. Something that sounded right up Rogue's ally. She grabbed him soon after, jumping as the lights turned off. Remy was more of a big band guy, he didn't understand the moody music. But he had never seen Rogue lose herself like this before. He was enchanted.

He would listen to anything to watch as she thrashed, letting loose and just feeling the music. Before long, Remy was jumping with her, their hands interlocked. He had forgotten all about the dare, the stipulation. His need for a favor. He was having fun, actual_ fun_ for the first time in years. When they ran out together, hand in hand, they realized it'd begun pouring outside. Remy cursed, hoping this wouldn't bring an end to the night.

Rogue walked through the shower, her hands outstretched in wonder. Remy watched her as she leaned her head up, her body slowly rising in the sky. Thunder and lightning clapped, making him shrink instinctively. But not her, her head was upturned to the rain. When the moment passed, she descended to Remy. His imagination was laid off, the moisture accentuating every accent of her body. Before he thought about it again, he grabbed her scarf, placing the black fabric against her lips and kissing feverishly.

As though it was what she meant all along, she kissed him back. Hungrily, like she'd been waiting for him to do that since he left her his Queen Of Hearts. He grabbed her wet, wavy hair, mashing his lips desperately against her face. Then, they stopped. She looked at him through curtains of silver and brown hair, smiling. "I'm hungry," She declared.

He slipped out of his jacket like an otter and draped it around her. "C'mon," He told her. "I got the perfect idea for dinner."

* * *

Remy hated New York, but he could find a good meal anywhere. Name a place, he could name a restaurant. Their hunt led to a vietnamese restaurant that looked like a house. "Places like_ dese_," He informed her as they waited. "Have da best food." She watched him, amused as she studied the menu. She looked around at the handmade murals decorating the walls, paintings of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. Rogue loved it.

She had been at peace in the rain, but now she was freezing. They both were, and Remy's damp jacket wasn't helping. So, a brothy bowl of chicken soup sounded good to her. She watched as the condensed milk and coffee poured in a cup together, Remy eagerly waiting to drink it. "Bet you were expectin' some gumbo? Crawfish boil, _non?"_ Rogue snorted, sipping on her soda.

"Definitely would've been game, but predictable. Besides," Her stare became wistful. "Can't find any of that stuff here. Not_ good,_ anyways." She made a disgusted face and he laughed. He nodded in agreement. He hated being in yankee country, and it kind of seemed like she did, too. "We got some high standards for that stuff." She remarked, waving a spring roll.

He took a bite of some rice. "Ya never told me how ya got so far away from home, _girl."_ He pointed a chopstick at her. "That's a _Caldecott, Mississippi_ accent, right?" She nodded, impressed as their steam bowls of pho were delivered. "Remy know his accents."

"On the mark," She commented, inhaling. Remy wordlessly assembled her bowl before moving on to his own. He tossed bean sprouts and cilantro in, knowing well how to make a perfect bowl of pho.

"So, whatcha doin' in New York? _Still_ in New York, rather." He frowned when he face became serious. She stared into her soup for a long moment.

"My home is here now, with the X-Men." Her voice was firm, her grip white knuckle on the chopsticks. He frowned, pouring tons of hot chiles into his food.

"De X-Men_ left_ you." He told her harshly, remembering as he watched their plane take off. Rogue clutched her chopstick so tight it snapped, garnering stares. "What if I was someone bad, _Rogue_? T'hink about dat-"

"_You don't know anything about them_." Remy leaned back, determined not to ruin a near perfect time. '_She laughed more tonight than I t'hink she has her whole life.'_

"I'm sorry," He told her gently. "Jus' seem like we both miss da south." That was a lie, Remy was a wanted man in New Orleans. And everything else just made him miss home. He felt home beside the X-Girl, he didn't know why. She was prickly and unpredictable, and he loved it. Every second of it. The more the night wore on, the more he wanted it to last forever. Not just for him, for her sake. He didn't know it was possible for the southern belle to be so relaxed.

She nodded, tucking her wet hair behind her ear. The moisture brought out it's natural pattern, a wild curl. The dryer it got, the more Remy couldn't help but stare. _'Tres belle..._' He thought, lucky he didn't accidentally utter it. "It's okay. I guess, the south wouldn't be more of a home without them." She twirled her chopsticks around and brought noodles to her mouth.

Remy laughed, bringing the spoon of broth to her as well. She slurped, laughing as she tried not to get it all over herself. "Whatcha think?" He asked, staring out the window.

"Its's really, really good." She looked up. "Thanks, Remy."

"No need to thank me," He thought, amused as he watched her eat. "Whaddya wanna do now, petite?" Rogue was disgusted with herself, she was almost beginning to like the man's floaty, french pet names. He saw the trouble in her eyes.

"There is one place I've always wanted to go..."

* * *

Remy never dreamed Rogue would ask to be taken to a biker bar. Double Down Saloon was in the heart of Manhattan. Remy was always game, tonight was about making Rogue have fun. So her wish was his command. As he watched her face light up, staring up at the neon cactus lights on the bar, he thought he could get used to doing things to see that look on her face.

She grabbed his wrist and tugged inside the bar, pushing her glasses over her eyes. "Two glasses of ya finest whiskey, on the rocks!" The tattooed bartender looked her up and down before chuckling, obeying her. Remy sat beside her on a stool, and watched in surprise as she knocked the drink back like apple juice. She gestured her hand again, and the bartender hit her up again.

Remy sipped his whiskey, watching as Rogue downed the second drink. "_Drinkin_' Remy outta house and home?" He asked her. Rogue smiled.

"Ain' ya thief a diamond or_ somethin_'?" It certainly took longer and much more alcohol with her abilities, but Rogue _could_ get drunk. And she currently was beside Remy LeBeau. "You can pay for a few whiskey sours." She leaned close to him, a sly smile on her face. She smelled like magnolias. The scent drove him wild, he fought the urge to lean in and bite her neck like a vampire. She noticed the expression, though.

"Remy pay for anythin'," He said, sliding over a card to the bartender. But he soon found he didn't have to.

Soon, bikers were buying shots of Fireball and tequila. He watched, half miffed and half amused as the shot glasses piled up beside her. People thought she was in on it with the bartender, pouring dummy shots. Soon, Sweet Home Alabama was playing. She was standing on the bar, telling stories about being the only girl on the Mississippi high school football team.

Then, she was singing Freebird and playing air guitar, kicking and singing into Remy's staff. The bar loved her. Remy could almost be jealous until he remembered the point of the night was to make her have fun. As he took pictures on his phone and hers, there would be no _way_ she could deny that she had enjoyed herself. He grinned devilishly at his fool proof plan. This was for bragging rights, he had no intention of cashing in on that favor.

When Metallica came on, Rogue was kicking chairs and singing into beers. The bar owner nor did the patrons care. Rogue was the most Rock & Roll thing to happen to the sleepy biker bar in ages. She was sliding against the wall, coyote ugly style. She didn't know if this was just who she was or if she was giving psyches free reign, but she didn't care. She was having fun. Then a guy reached out to touch her. She was the youngest, prettiest girl in the bar in years.

Remy had been watching closely, but it was inevitable. He shot to his feet but Rogue flipped him before he could move. The bar went silent, even the music stopped. He looked around, his hand on his staff when everyone erupted into cheers. The music continued, people were taking pictures of Rogue. Next, she began arm wrestling.

Remy watched as she beat every man in the bar, twice. Downing shots the whole time. She finally sat down beside Remy when she had a moment to pull away. Her cheeks were getting rosy and she couldn't stop smiling._ 'Yep,'_ He thought with a hopeless grin._ 'She's drunk.'_ She took a long swing of water and wiped her mouth with her arm.

"Ah think Ah joined a few biker gangs..." Remy took a shot of bourbon himself and laughed.

"Oh _das_ what you were doin'." He waved toward a waitress as he passed by when everyone heard a loud smack. The music shut off again, dozens of glasses clattered on the ground. Breaking. Nobody said a word, but Rogue stood. A fat, bald biker had slapped the waitress so hard, she dropped a tray of drinks. She stood, red faced and embarrassed.

Remy stood and was about to pay for all the dropped drinks, (lest the poor girl get fired) but Rogue literally flew and knocked the biker out of his seat. She stood over him, her face in a snarl. His friends stood beside him, as Rogue paid them no mind. She turned to the poor waitress and rifled through her purse for cash. "How much for the drinks, _sugah?_" The girl stared in awe of her kindness.

Remy sauntered over, closing Rogue's purse. "Place it on my ugly mug's tab, _chérie_." He said as he tried to slide Rogue away. She hadn't noticed, but the fat biker's friends were very angry. Almost everyone there was now, she was a mutant. "_Chére,_ might be time we go." The bartender slid Remy's card over, scowling.

"Just go," Rogue looked around. She'd been having so much fun. Remy snatched the card, his staff held in front of them.

"Get goin'," He told her seriously, his hands on playing cards. "I'll distract 'em and get outta-" He paused when Rogue flew past him, lifting the largest and heaviest of the gang and tossing them across the bar. Nobody was even paying attention to him anymore, the entire bar swarmed Rogue with chairs and pool sticks. _"CHÉRE_?" She smiled, rolling the sleeves of her jacket up.

"Are you kidding me, I haven't been on a mission in_ months!_"

* * *

_'Logan?'_

The bald telepath reached out for the mutant as soon as the X-Jet had landed. He took care to curse to himself, not in his mind. '_What's up, Chuck?'_

_'Would you and Scott come to my office?'_ He looked wearily at the brown haired man. He wanted to crawl in his bed, they'd flown all the way across the world and back.

_'Sure. Be up in a sec.'_ He huffed, and Scott recognized the noise. "He wants you _too_, Shades." Scott groaned, wiping his face off. Jean was going to shower as soon as she got home, and _that'd_ been what he wanted to do.

"Can't it-" A glare from Jean cut him off. "Okay, let's go." He corrected with a sigh. Everyone else broke away to go to bed, but Scott and Logan climbed the steps to their headmaster's bedroom. He was waiting for them with an uneasy smile.

"Ah, there you are. How was Africa?" He asked warmly, his hands interlocked.

"Good." Scott answered politely.

"Went as good as it could've. What's goin' on, Chuck?" Charles' smile broadened.

"I was using Cerebro and I detected a familiar signature." He turned on the T.V to the nine o'clock news.

_"Sources say a whole bar of bikers, called the Double Down Saloon, was taken on by a mutant. One possessing superhuman strength, agility, and flight after drinking most of the night. Police say be on the lookout for a man with red and black eyes and two toned hair-"_ He shut the T.V off and turned back to the two mutants. They were already fuming, but he didn't seem fuming.

"R-Rogue-" Scott began. "_She's_,"

"Not on campus, it seems." Logan's claws shot out. He'd been a bit frustrated with the girl's unwillingness to accept help, but the thought of her with Remy again made his blood boil.

"Telllin' me he's kidnapped her, _again?"_ Logan remembers Rogue moping (even more than usual) for weeks after she realized he really had just used her. He wasn't gonna go through it again.

"Kidnapping could be a harsh word, Logan. The girl cannot be overpowere-"

"Her_ mind_ can be controlled." Scott urged earnestly. He did not trust Remy, and certainly not with Rogue.

"I detect no sense of foul play, I just think our friend has had enough fun." He gave them both a patient look. "Hasn't she deserved some?" Logan was already out the door, Scott trailing behind him.

"Wait, we do_ have t_o ride a motorcycle..."

* * *

Remy looked around at the wooded cliffside Rogue had taken him. She had been right, she knew exactly where to go to avoid the mob. They both had to admit, fighting side by side again felt good. Right. He wanted to do it forever. She sat, her legs dangling off the edge as she stared into the sky. "_See,"_ She pointed giddily. "You can see the stars all the way out here."

Remy stooped carefully beside her, staring up. "Well, look at _dat,_" His gaze dropped back to her, marveling at the sky like a child. He couldn't drop his eyes. When she felt him she turned, staring right back into his eyes.

"I've never taken anyone here before," She turns to the looming trees behind him. "New York is so much city, people_ forget_ about nature." He listened to her carefully. "I just come here to clear my head, sometimes." She jumped when he placed a hand over her gloved one.

"Thanks for bringin' Remy here." She stared at him, both their jackets shed long ago. Why him, Rogue had never wanted a person so bad since Scott. She stood no chance with him, of course, but at least he would've been a safe bet. Here she was, spending the night with a former enemy. The last person who would settle down, much less _wait_ for her powers to get better._ 'Maybe he likes pain,'_ She thought drunkenly as she moved closer. _'Must if he likes me.'_

He watched her closely, on her hands and knees as he crawled toward him. _"Chére,_" He breathed, but he wasn't scared. He wanted her to come closer until she couldn't. '_She could crush me like an ant,'_ He thought, marveling at the power she held. She could kill him a number of ways, now. She was like Super Woman and Poison Ivy, all in one. It scared him, but it turned him on. She was a challenge, a danger. There was nobody else like her.

"Ya scared," She asked him, studying his face.

"A lil," He said, breaking into a smile. "Ain' no fun if ya not scared." Now she was grinning. She leaned over him, her chest almost grazing his face. His breath caught in his throat.

"_What would ya do,_" She begged, her voice a whisper. She stared at his black and red eyes, hers shining in the moonlight. "What would ya do if you could touch me?" He grabbed her gloved hand carefully.

_"Everythin'_," He whispered. She craned her neck to him, preparing to drop her lips to his in a kiss. Neither one of them cared what happened next. _'Gimme one ya remember,_' He thought, shutting his eyes and waiting for oblivion. An optic blast crashed into the ground beside him.

_"MARIE,"_ Logan stood behind him, his claws glinting under the moon.

Scott held his visor, a fierce scowl on his face. "Next one won't miss, Swamp Rat."


	2. Smell

Both X-Men let out a gasp when Rogue flew from the ground, and in front of Remy. It was like an arrow to Logan's heart, especially as he began to sniff. He was usually thankful for his mutation, it was handy for figuring things out and keeping the institute safe. But, he wasn't thankful now. He couldn't help it, all sorts of smells were seeping into his bloodhound nose. Bourbon, whiskey, cigars, the distinct smell of a bar. _Arousal_. On them both. His vision went as red as Scott's as he glared at the cajun mutant.

"Leave Remy _alone!_" She demanded, an accusing finger pointing at them. Her cheeks were rosy, and she hiccuped right after she spoke. Logan's eyes went wide. _'Is... is she drunk?'_ He thought, too bewildered to be mad.

"R-Rogue?!" Scott sputtered, his face turning as red as his eyes. '_S-She's defending him?'_

"Y'ain't have to _shoot_ at him," She drawled, angry they had tried to hurt him. He was standing behind her a moment later, his hand on her back.

"It's okay,_ chére._ Take it easy. I took ya, once." He told her softly, eyes locked with them both. "It's _Remy_ cross to bear." Steam might as well have blown from Logan's ears when he saw the touch. The smell. Them, _alone_. Curse anyone who tried to steal an X-Girl, but especially_ her_. It was too much for him. Remy was a grown man, preying on a little girl. At least, as far as Logan was concerned. He finally swiped with his claws and Remy backed up, his staff drawn.

_"Don't you ever touch her again,_" He growled, and Remy could tell he meant it. Even Rogue's eyes widened at the shock of his tone. He sounded like the government was trying to seize the institute, again. Everyone froze. Rogue didn't want tweedle dee and tweedle dum to scare him away. And they were trying their hardest.

"Logan, stop." She pleaded, her hand on his arm. "_Please._" He roared and retracted his claws, but he stood between them both.

"Look, Rogue. I_ don't_ feel like dealin' with this right now. I don't know _what_ he did," He pointed at Remy with one, drawn claw. He returned his glare back to the southerner. "But we're here to take you back,_ now._" Scott clenched his jaw together tightly. He waited impatiently for the girl to fall in line beside him. She had never been like this before, his annoyance was giving way to concern.

"Right." He added, his arms crossed. Rogue huffed in exasperation. '_Of course when I'm havin' fun they come crash it...'_

"I came voluntarily." Remy looked at her in surprise as both mens' eyes widened. "Y'all _really_ expect me to stay locked up in mah castle just cause you're g-" Scott sighed, moving closer to the girl.

_"That's_ what this is about," He said in a patronizing tone. He smiled at her patiently, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged away indignantly. "We want you to come back, Rogue. Once the professor clears you, you ca-"

"_No_." Rogue stomped her foot angrily. "_This_ is about how y'all were _fine_ with me not bein' on the team, until I did my_ own_ damn thing!" Her face was turning red and her voice was steadily rising. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she refused. Scott frowned at her, genuinely confused why she was upset.

"Nobody is _fine_ with anything that's happened to you!" Logan yelled finally, losing his patience. He fought the urge to tug her towards him and Scott.

"Look, Ah_ know_ Ah'm a handful, and Ah'm a lot to deal with." She placed her hands on her hips. "Let me have _one_ night with someone who doesn't think so, yet." She stared unflinchingly into Logan's dark eyes. She saw a million words pass in his eyes, but he said none. She'd been bored for months, she could carry on for a lot longer. He could tell she was in a fighting mood. The man inhaled sharply, his teeth bared.

"Rogue, if that's really what you think, you're less mature than I thought." Scott quipped, his frown aimed at Remy. She took to the air slightly, her eyes burning.

"C'mon," Logan interjected, his livid stare landing on Remy. "I'm _not_ dealing with this anymore." He pointed stiffly beside him. "You're coming home. Your antics were on t_he news_, so if you thought you were locked up before-" He chuckled menacingly, cutting himself off when Remy wedged his staff between he and Rogue. Remy had been silent as Rogue never had issues sticking up for himself.

Only Rogue's proximity kept him from killing the mutant, and even then... "Why don't you let de_ girl_ decide," He offered, a dangerous smirk on his face. "Y'all sound awfully bossy-" Now Scott had a hand on his visor, reaching for the lanky man.

"I've had it up to _here_ with you-" Rogue held up a hand and turned to Remy, pushing the staff down. He frowned.

"It was fun, _Swamp Rat_." She said with a smile. She grabbed his hands in front of both men, making Logan turn around and take a few paces. "Ah gotta go home, _some_ time." He smiled at her. _'Does dat mean I won de bet?' _

"Das, de t'ing, chére. You don' _have_ to." Scott inserted himself between them. He ignored the fuming men around them and gazed in her eyes, even charming her a little. "You can do whatever ya want."

"You gonna keep trying to blatantly steal her away,_ pal_?" He glowered at him. Remy finally began to back away.

"_Only_ if you keep makin' dat face." Scott flushed when he heard Rogue stifle laughter.

"Let's go," He said, giving her a look before he followed Logan. Rogue held up her hand, wishing she had something to remember their time by. As if reading her look, Remy reached in his shirt and handed her a rough, Queen Of Hearts playing card.

"Ya deserve two, _chérie_." Rogue blushed, still feeling drunk. She smiled up at him shyly.

"Guess I owe you a favor, _huh_?" She tucked the card into the inside of her shirt and followed after Scott. He stood there in the moonlight, in the place only they knew, for a longtime. He stood and wondered what might've happened if the X-Men hadn't shown up. He touched his face and smiled, remembering kissing through the scarf._ 'Whatever happens, it woulda been worth it.'_

Scott walked in front of Rogue, his face dipped in thought. Logan seemed equal parts enraged and mortified. He hadn't spoken, and he wouldn't even look at Rogue. Scott thought about how close Remy and Rogue were when they finally found them._ 'What was he doing to her?'_ He thought angrily. Then, the professor's words rang in his mind._ 'It's extremely hard to overpower her, now_._ The odds of her being there against her will, are..._' He tossed a glance back at her, shrouded in the cajun's trench coat.

When they arrived to the institute, the silence continued. Logan kept walking, all the way through to the back of the mansion. The back door slammed loudly behind him, as he continued as far away from the institute as he could manage. Jean, Kitty, and a worried Kurt were all waiting on the sofa by the door. Scott huffed when he saw Kitty and Jean's grins._ 'They're excited, like this was a date._' He thought, rolling his eyes. This wasn't a joke to him. Gambit was manipulative. And he was preying on a fragile Rogue.

Rogue smiled slyly as both girls ran to her side. "_So,_" Jean began, ecstatic.

"Yeah, heard you got to go on an _adventure!_" Kitty continued, staring at her roommate. She nudged her playfully and eyed her outfit. "You sure are are dressed for one!" Scott grumbled to himself. She gazed at Rogue as she smiled. She had never seen her roommate grin and blush like this. She was glowing. Whatever it was, she wanted her to keep it up.

"_Kitty_," Scott began sharply. He didn't need Rogue's rebellious behavior encouraged.

_'Hey, your tone!'_ Jean chastised mentally, a scowl directed at her boyfriend. Kurt leapt from the couch and galloped over to his sibling. He stared at her in wonder, anxious since he'd heard she'd disappeared from the institute. _'The vay things have been for her,_' He thought solemnly. '_I vas starting to vorry she vouldn't come back.' _

"You're alright!" He grabbed her tight, examining her for damage. "Logan said you vere kidnapped-" Jean scoffed in exasperation.

"Remy is_ not_ capable of kidnapping her anymore, Kurt." She turned patiently to the girl beside her. "_Right?"_ Rogue gave a grateful smile.

"Right." She repeated, facing her brother. He cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Don't get all worried,_ y'know_ I could've fought him off." Kurt twiddled his fingers nervously. He wasn't worried about Rogue being able to defend herself, he was worried about her heart.

"But... That means you vent to hang out vith... Rogue,_ no-_" Kurt groaned in mild disgust. He ran to Scott, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Please, dude. I'm your _best friend_. You owe me! Put her back on the tea-" Rogue crossed her arms, a frown on her face.

"This ain't about a _damn_ team," She turned her attention to Scott, her eyes ablaze. "Although if I was on the mission, this _never_ woulda happened." Kitty smiled smugly behind her, even Jean shrugged. She was right. Scott's face was turning red again. Ever since Rogue's probationary period, it'd been clique-y around the mansion. The girls sided with Rogue, thinking her break from the X-Men had been long enough.

But, Scott in his cautious nature, couldn't agree. _'Someone has to think with their head,'_ He thought angrily to himself. The girls were invaluable teammates, but they let their feelings get the better of them. Often. "She has a point, Scott. She asked to come along." Kitty cocked her hips. Bobby rolled his eyes, he had seen this argument before. Often.

"Yeah, the broken door_ proves_ that." He commented, digging into ice cream. The stares from the three, mutant girls silenced him. He took his ice cream and retreated, quickly. The leader of the X-Men chuckled ruefully.

"Tonight proves that Rogue _isn't_ ready." He sent her a disappointed look. "She has a long way to go before she's on any team, sorry." He shook his head. "And you don't want to think about what Logan's dreaming up to punish you. You really made him mad, Rogue. You know how worried he was when you disappeared." He took off towards his room, hoping Jean would join him. Kurt frowned, following after his friend as the girls watched them.

"He don' scare me." Rogue snapped. "And neither do you." The women shook their heads beside her.

"Ugh, they're _unbelievable_." Kitty complained, looking back at her roommate. "Men,"

"Sorry about him," Jean apologized gently. "He's taking everything too serious." She frowned. "As _usual,_" Rogue smiled slightly.

"Don' apologize. You're his girlfriend, not his _mom_." Kitty hook her arm in both girls, grinning.

"Face masks? Another girls' night?" Rogue actually had things to divulge for a change. She grinned.

"Yeah," She said with a smirk. She thought of Remy's face in her mind. "Let's."

* * *

Rogue was sitting indian style on her bed with Kitty and Jean of all people. Post Apocalypse, even Rogue knew nothing was promised. And she found an unlikely friend in the redhead. She had on a giant, Deftones shirt and her short hair in pigtails. Kitty's hair was down for a change, shrouded in one of Piotr's massive sweaters. And Jean's red hair was in a bun on top of her head as she carefully painted Kitty's nails with telekinesis. _"So..._" She began, holding back her grin. "What happened tonight?"

Rogue was dutifully painting her own nails black, but she couldn't hide her blush. Kitty grinned and tried not to mess up her toe nails. The girls had only gotten closer since Rogue's banishment from the team. They knew what she was going through had been hard enough, and even Jean could sense she needed a friend. _'She's so close with Scott,'_ She thought. She knew how alienating it felt not being on the team.

"Yeah, Rogue. _Spill it_." Even she was smiling now, studying her nails.

"So," Rogue began, enjoying that they were waiting with baited breath.

"So!" Kitty repeated.

"He originally wanted to kidnap me..." Kitty's mouth hung open in surprise, but Jean spoke first.

"I think that's kind of romantic,_ actually_..." Kitty raised an eyebrow.

Rogue continued, diligently painting her toes. "He couldn't, Ah'm too strong." She explained with a tinge of pride.

"So... How did you end up on a_ date?_" Kitty questioned. Jean shh'd her.

"Kitty!" She reprimanded, but the girl shrugged.

"It was a date, _right?_ Logan wouldn't be that mad unless it was." Rogue chuckled to herself, thinking of Logan's red face.

"It was a bet," She corrected, examining her hands nonchalantly. "When the oaf realized he couldn't_ kidnap_ me, he asked for my help. So, I made a bet with him." Jean locked her hands in excitement, brushing Kitty's brown hair with her telekinesis. Kitty shut her eyes in contentment.

"Okay! And what was the bet?" Rogue looked uncertainly at them.

"I bet him he couldn't get me to have fun." Rogue crossed her arms as both Kitty and Jean burst out laughing.

"Oh my_ god_, Rogue." Kitty began, clutching her stomach as she laughed. "That's _so_ a date." Jean nodded in agreement.

"Textbook definition." Rogue was scowling, now. She had gone for some fun but she never agreed to the date. The other girls knew how seriously she took things like that because of her mutation. Still, they couldn't pass up an opportunity to tease her. "Gosh, you've been on more dates than_ me_ this year." Rogue blushed furiously as the girls laughed.

"_Nu uh_," She protested angrily. Jean leaned her chin in her hand and gazed at her teammate. "Even_ Ah'm_ not that desperate."

"Well, what did you guys _do_?" Rogue placed a black fingernail on her chin in thought.

"Ah don't know, he took me to some party." She examined her nails and continued painting. Kitty leaned in, clearly more interested than she was. She waved her hand as though it weren't a big deal.

"He got you to go to a _party?_" Kitty exclaimed, jealous now that she never convinced her roommate to sneak out. She nodded slowly.

"Yeah, like one of those travelin' parties? Or whatever. You only get in with items or invitations, _that_ sorta thing." Kitty began slapping Rogue's bed furiously.

"Ugh, _no fair_. I've _always_ wanted to go to one!" She complains. Rogue can't bite back the smile that there's actually something she'd done that _Kitty_ hadn't. Jean is also shocked, but the expression melts into a smile.

"Scott's never even taken me to one of those," She remarked, basking in Rogue's genuine smile. Kitty scoffed.

"Ugh, yeah like Mr. _Boyscout_ would take you to an undercover, illegal party." Kitty, snickered, trying to imagine Scott in that situation. Jean was frowning now, to Rogue's laughter.

"Hey, it's only okay when I say it," She reminded, her pout genuine. Both girls laughed at Jean's face. "Guys don't do those things with girls they don't like, Rogue." When Rogue's face became wistful, both girls got quiet.

"I had a lot of fun," Rogue admitted, as if it were a bad thing. She wrapped her arms around herself and thought about his red and black eyes. Kitty leaned her chin on her knees.

"Well, why don't you sound like it?" Kitty asked, tossing a pillow at her. The white banged mutant rolled her eyes.

"I did, I do. I _jus'_ know better than to get my hopes up..." She looked towards her window, wondering when the next time she saw the mutant would be. That's exactly why she was being conscious. It's not like she knew how to contact him at any given moment. Nothing could tame or chain Remy down, so she didn't expect him to blow in any time soon. Jean shut her eyes in a knowing smile.

"I've been on a_ lot_ of dates, Rogue." She told her, painting her nails and her toes at the same time with her powers. "Guys don't go to multiple places for a girl if they're not on a date." Kitty nodded excitedly.

"It was _so_ a date," Kitty insisted, grinning. "He had to trick you into it, but I'm glad he did." Both girls noticed Rogue's distant stare. She wasn't paying any mind to them, she was thinking about something. But her lips were parted and her cheeks were rosy. Was it longing? "Hello? Earth to Rogue?" Jean smiled mischievously.

"You are so sprung!" She exclaimed, hitting the girl with a dark purple pillow. Rogue's blush only deepened, and so did her smile. Jean's mouth hung open in disbelief. "Oh my god," Kitty leaned in in excitement. For a girl who couldn't touch, they really wanted to hear about Rogue's date. "You _are_ sprung?" Rogue turned away, enjoying the wealth of having information both Jean and Kitty wanted.

She thought about only the fabric of her scarf separating them, how he wasn't even scared. She tucked some hair behind her ear. "_Somethin'_... Kind of happened," She told them as though it weren't a big deal. Both girls lean in quickly. Jean's mouth hung open in wonder, but anger flashed behind Kitty's eyes.

"What do you _mean_ kind of happened?" Rogue's roommate exclaimed, tying her hair into a ponytail.

"Kind of?" Jean repeated, Rogue looked at them both.

"Ah... Ah think Ah had my first_ kiss_? B-Besides Cody..." Both girls began shrieking unintelligibly as she covered her ears. Before Rogue could quiet them, footsteps thundered to the girls wing of the institute. They all groaned as Scott kicked in Rogue and Kitty's door, Piotr and Logan behind him.

"I heard something!" He cried, looking around for an intruder. Piotr peered in once he realized the girls were decent, relieved to find nothing wrong. Jean frowned, her face covered in blue face mask.

"Katya?"

"Get _lost!_" She shrieked, slamming their door with telekinesis.

"We got enough X-Genes to handle intruders, y'know!" Kitty complained shaking a fist. Logan groaned, the girls were getting older but they were not getting any easier to deal with. Quite the opposite, now. When they were younger, they wanted protection, needed it. But they were turning into young woman. It was becoming harder and harder for Logan to reason with any of them, and he found himself occupied ignoring a lot of sensory things . Too many to count.

He had turned and doubled back before Jean slammed the door. Scott stood dumbly as the other men dissipated.

* * *

Rogue awoke the next morning to her room empty and a slight draft. She grumbled to herself, waking up to shut the window when she found a playing card wedged in the crack. Her heart hammered in her chest as she stared at the red, paisley design on the back._ 'Gambit,'_ She thought, her cheeks burning again. As though the card was piping hot, she ripped it from the window. In her hands was another beat up Queen Of Hearts.

Rogue stared at it in wonder. He had given her one last night, and left another this morning. _'How many does he have,'_ She wondered, marveling at the queen on the card._ 'How many girls does he give them to?'_ She pushed the unsavory thought from her mind and just enjoyed the card. She tucked it with the other two, in her copy of Othello and prepared to get in the shower and start her day.

As she ran the shower and peeked into the mirror, her mind was still plagued with thoughts of Remy. His face stained her mind's eye, haunting her. She wanted to see him. Again. It made her chest hurt. It made her heat hurt. She'd never felt the way as she did now, thinking about how she felt as she stared into his eyes. She placed a hand on her chest, her heart hammering underneath. It tended to do that when she thought of him.

She stepped into the shower, and as water caressed pale skin she can't help but remember kissing Remy, kissing him as if a scarf wasn't separating their skin. She wanted more. She craved it. Ever since her accident with Cody, Rogue hadn't experienced lust. And lust was a strong word for puppy love. But she'd never been close to the feelings she was experiencing now.

In a few months time she would be 20, an adult. She couldn't act like a little girl anymore. But she found the feelings overwhelming. She'd never felt any of them before. She had tasted just a little bit of romance, and now, she wanted it all. She didn't even realize when she'd grabbed the shower head and brought it to her lower body. Her eyes were shut in ecstasy, the spray of water drifting lower and lower.

She didn't realize what she was doing until she heard a pounding on the door. Rogue wrenched the shower head from between her legs. "Rogue? Are you _alive?_ I need to get in there, I've got a work study!" Kitty was banging on the door. Rogue shut the water off, embarrassed. She hoped Kitty didn't put two and two together. She doubted it, but with a mansion full of mutants, you had to protect your privacy.

She emerged from the bathroom with a scowl, a dark purple towel wrapped around her. "Here, _sheesh._" Kitty eyed her skeptically as she waded in the bathroom after her. Nothing but the smell of shampoo and magnolias._ 'Weird,'_ She thought, eyeing her roommate. Rogue was hygienic, and she pampered her skin. But a forty minute shower was weird, even for her.

Unfortunately, someone deep within the mansion knew exactly what she was doing.

* * *

_Kurt stood impatiently at the front door of the mansion. Rogue had lost a bet and promised to go to some superhero movie with him despite her known hate for them. "Don't we have enough superhero stuff in our lives, Kurt?" She'd complained. But a bet was a bet. He was having a hard time tracking her down. He facetimed her phone, again, and exclaimed when she picked up. _

_"There you are?!" He cried. "Rogue, where are you? Movie is in twenty!" She smiled sheepishly at her sibling. _

_"Ah know, Kurt." He squinted at his phone screen. _

_"Are you on a bus?" She frowned. "Rogue-' _

_"I'm on a mission, Kurt. With Logan. Only I can help." He sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Ah'm sorry." _

_"This alvawys happens." She sighed. _

_"Ah know, Ah'm sorry. We'll hang out when we get back, okay? Take Kitty!" Her brother scoffed and she laughed. _

_"Ja, right. All the fun stuff happens to you." He hung up and jumped ten feet in the air when he turned around to see Logan, standing in the kitchen. He smiled at Kurt getting startled, stabbing an apple on his claw. He took a bite and waited for his nerves to settle down, and he frowned when they didn't. _

_"Elf," He began with a raised eyebrow. "Something wrong?" Kurt scratched his head, looking dumbly at his phone. _

_"Uh, yeah? Rogue is on a bus. With you, she said she was on a mission-" The apple dropped to the floor and he was already on his way to the door, seething. His claws were out as he thought about what Mystique would have her do. The thought squeezed his chest like a vice, clamoring for his motorcycle to aid her. Kurt looked around helplessly. 'Uh, professor!' He called out mentally. _

_'I know, Kurt. I've sent Jean after him.' He informed him, his hands resting on Cerebro. 'God help us,' He thought. _

_Jean floated down from a balcony and intercepted him quickly. "Logan," She began, chewing her lip. She didn't know how she expected to stop him, just that she had to. "Just wait a second and think about this." She begged him, hovering in her familiar khakis and purple shirt. He averted his eyes from her face as he climbed aboard his motorcycle. Sighing, she stopped him with her telekinesis. "Give me another choice, Logan." _

_"I don't need to think about anything, Red. I need to find Rogue, and cut Mystique down." _

_"You can't do that. You wouldn't." Jean fired back immediately, her face hard. It was times like these he remembered why he loved her so much. No matter what rage blackout, no matter what personal turmoil he went through, Jean held him to a high standard. The best Logan he could be, and even when she empathized with him, she didn't accept less. "She's Kurt's mother, you're an X-Man-" _

_"She's impersonating me." He snarled at her, shutting his mind off to her telepathy. "Whatever happens to her, to anyone else... It's on me!" He shouted at her, so angry his likeness was being use to betray the girl. Again. The thought drove him mad, thinking of all the opportunities he'd had to take Mystique out. 'This is my fault for allowing it to happen, and for letting Kurt believe it wouldn't come to this.'_

_He sighed as Jean massaged his tortured mind. "We're going to rescue her," She said, her voice confident. "But we need to do it together. We're compromised, Logan. We don't know who else has received false instruction from Mystique, we need to stick together." He exhaled loudly, his eyes dropped in defeat. When she was certain he wouldn't ride away, she released him from her telekinetic hold. She hated doing that, she knew of his distrust of telepaths well. But she refused to let anyone else run off and get hurt. _

_She approached him slowly and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. He let out a frustrated sob and inhaled her hair. "It's going to be fine, watch." She promised. _

"_Nice_, Jubilee." Logan coached as she rocketed fireworks into the air. She graduated high school next year, even Logan's new recruits were growing up. She chewed pink bubblegum, her cropped black hair blowing in the wind. Though there would be more, he was finding it hard to let go of the mutants he was rearing a few years ago. A lot of them hated it, but they would always be his kids. His new recruits. "Jaime, what have I told you? _Quality_ over quantity."

The brown haired boy smiled at him, reducing his clones to an amount he could easily control. "_There_ ya go." He watched them, his hands on his hips as the kids scrambled their formation. That's when he smelled it._ Again_. He clutched his face and growled, agitated and disgusted at the mere scent. He wanted to find Remy and slaughter him, but he was a reformed mutant now. Jean couldn't help but notice, Logan had been wound tight ever since Rogue had been taken by her former mother. But this was a whole new level. His mind was shouting at him, dumping all his unsavory feelings right into her mind.

It was savage, feral. He wanted to hurt someone.

"End simulation," He snarled. They were on the back lawn, trying to emulate a real emergency. The guns and turrets lowered into the ground, and it looked like a normal school campus. "Good job," He grumbled, staggering away for some peace and quiet. Farther from the institute. Scott watched him with a raised eyebrow. His behavior had been weird, but even he didn't complain about short sessions.

His red haired girlfriend kissed his cheek and insisted on following Logan. '_Something's wrong,'_ She told him before breaking away. He watched her retreating form with a sigh. Jean tended to be right about these things as a psychic, and even if she weren't, Scott hadn't found a way to stop her from doing what she wanted. She found Logan in the branches of a tree, his arms crossed down wind. He was still in his black X-Suit, his body rigid with tension.

"Logan," She called up the tree. She heard him groan, but he didn't respond. He was glad it was her and not the silver haired mutant. He'd had plenty of his own issues with the red head, even Kitty. But Rogue was a whole different story. "I know you're up there..." He huffed in exasperation. He jumped down, landing easily on all fours.

_"Red_," He said with a fake grin. She crossed her arms, no longer moved or impressed by the man's moods. She'd known him longest of all, and he didn't scare her. He stared at her in disbelief when she sat beside him in her X-Suit, meaning she was waiting for him to do the same. Complaining the whole way, he sat uncomfortably beside the psychic. Psychics made him uneasy, they always had.

But he remembers when it was just them two, before even Scott came to the institute. It calms him slightly. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong, or are you going to make me work for it?" He turned to her in surprise, but then he flashes a toothy smile. He'd left the institute, come back, hurt himself to get over her. What he felt about Jean wasn't what he was going through with Rogue, but it was all painful.

He sniffed, staring into the campus of the school. Students wandered in the sun, enjoying the peace. "Ya gonna sit here until I tell you?" She smirked, he knew her. And well. Jean was polite, even a social butterfly, but she was just as stubborn as the man beside her. Especially when it came to people she cared about. She grinned.

"_Yep."_ He sighed, leaning his back against the trunk of the tree. He was around her sparingly, but he couldn't say he didn't miss her. Psychics were like emotional incense, he couldn't help but feel good around her. He heaved a loud sigh and she turned to him. "What is it?" He didn't know where to begin. What wasn't it?

He sat there silently, his mind turning beside her. Jean sat in silence. He knew she was patient, that he would never wait her out. But he didn't know what to say. He frowned, thinking of the best words. Jean frowned. _'What is it that he won't even tell me?_' She turned to him, Logan never pulled punches. Never held any words. "It's just_ difficult_ to talk about..."

Jean smiled and it made his stomach flip. "_So_," She insisted, facing him. "Let me help." He anchored his stare at the ground.

"My powers..." He mumbled. Jean nodded. "My hearing, my sense of smell. _All_ of it." He looked into her green eyes with dark ones. "It's kind of like when your telepathy went all out of control." He scowled at the memory. He had held it together then, but he'd been terrified for Jean. He had been one of the few Xavier told about Jean's massive abilities. How her powers kept him up at night, he thought it'd been the end. "I can't choose what I hear, what I smell. What I _sense._" He shifted beside her.

Suddenly, the telepath realized she had even more in common with Logan than she'd thought. It'd been the darkest moment of her life, she thought she would've swallowed the world in flames. "I've never thought about that," She admitted apologetically. She turned to him, her eyes shining with empathy. "That must be so hard, here. So many students. So many sounds..." He nodded, staring at his hands. '_So many smells.' _

"It's like anything else. Like your powers, I just have to work at it." He looked at her with tired eyes. "Always keep categorizin' scents and smells as familiar, as friendly... So when a foe comes up, I'm still sharp." She didn't think about how overloaded the man must be. The mansion was a sensory holocaust. She knew he hated to complain. The telepath had always thought his wanderlust was a quirk, but he was probably more at home on his own. "I was tentative to come here for that _very_ reason." She nodded, waiting for him to continue. "I just kind of... Got used to things. That was the only thing to do."

"But something... Something's thrown you for a loop?" Jean filled in. He kept his eyes lowered, he hated when she wore her X-Suit. It held no secrets about the women she'd become. She was so beautiful, transforming into a adult right before his eyes. He nodded solemnly.

"If somethin' smells familiar at this point, it don' bother me." He told her, his eyes on the horizon. Jean shook her head and tried to follow. _'So what did you smell to make you end the session?'_

"Just tell me what's the matter." She leaned her head in her hand. _"Please_?" He couldn't resist her when she begged, he was glad she didn't often.

"It's Rogue," He bit out, his jaw clenched. Jean sat up in interest.

"_Rogue?"_ She repeated in confusion. He sighed.

"Listen," He told her, looking into her eyes like a dog who'd gotten into the trash. "Down to micro expressions, Jean. I can smell them. Emotions, _feelings._ If my mind isn't occupied, if I'm not tuning out scents and sounds like you do thoughts..."

"They will overwhelm you." She answered knowingly. _'So what is he smelling that's putting him in a terrible mood?'_

"Right. When it's that time of the month..." As if on cue, his face turned red. He bowed his head in embarrassment. "When you're pissed off, anxious. When... You're thinking about _Scott._" Jean flushed suddenly, embarrassed he could potentially smell her naughtiest thoughts. "When Kitty's thinking about _Peter_... When you're kind of miffed, everything smells like burnt firewood. I can tell from a scent your exact mood." He looked into her emerald eyes. "I'm... Smelling things on Rogue I've _never_ smelled before." He shifted in discomfort.

He said the last part like he was embarrassed, like he was a dirty old man peering into Rogue's privacy. He would never cross the line with her. Jean put two and two together, realizing Rogue was more than likely in the shower. Among other things. She kept thinking and the truth crashed on her. She and Kitty and all the other girls had been aroused, had probably had sex before. But_ she_ hadn't. They were smells Logan had battled with an overcome, but Rogue was a late bloomer.

He was being forced to confront those smells after making a strong, paternal connection with her. Being paternal might as well have been a part of the man's mutation.

She came to the institute with her mutation, Logan had never smelled anything more than an unrequited crush on her. He had come to an impasse with the other female students he cared about, but never Rogue. And as she grew older, they closer, his reaction to these smells was only getting worse. She must've looked like she pitied him, because he growled at her expression. "Oh, I get it..." He shook his head.

"You _don't_, Red." She thought about earlier days at the institute, when she was still in school and the institute was just filling up. He used to roam far more often, spending night after night out. She used to get on him about it, now she understood._ 'That storm has passed, we are all settled in and on a routine. But Rogue...'_ He twiddled his hands, his knuckles itching. "I'm fightin' an instinctual impulse." He insisted, rubbing his temple. "Everything in my brain is yelling at me to freak out." He grabbed a fistful of grass. "A bit _frustrating_ to say the least."

"How did you get over it, before?" He shifted uncomfortably. Jean looked at him worriedly.

"I just made myself scarce till I got over it, but..." He growled to himself. "But distance isn't the issue. I'm already _close_ to Rogue. I've already got her categorized as a scent I react to, on an instinctual level." He dropped his head in shame. "Now I'm learning things about her I never thought I'd have to." Jean grimaced. Rogue's mutation had held her back from a lot of teenage rites of passage, now they were bombarding Logan. "And I wanna do things I never thought I'd do." He fought the urge to shoot his claws out, imagining Remy's face. "Like _kill_ again. And he hasn't even done anything,_ yet._"

Suddenly, it all made so much sense to the fiery haired girl. "You know she knows how to take care of herself, right? You taught her." He grimaced at Jean's optimism.

"It's not takin' care of _herself_ I'm worried about. She's _different_, Jeannie." He stared into the grass. "You, Half-Pint. Jubilee, Amara... You guys will get hurt like that, but you will bounce back from it. You guys already_ know_ they'll be another day. _Her_..." His face screwed into anguish. "It means even more to her, I can_ smell_ it." He jumped slightly when Jean placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We don't expect you to protect us from everything." She informed him with a smile. "Just be there when she does get hurt, that's all she wants." He nodded, wishing it were ever that simple. "All she can ask for."

"Yeah," He chuckled. "I know." He stole a glance at her. "I wish my brain would listen. My instincts are shoot first, ask later." He reminded her. Jean laughed at him.

"Oh, _we kno_w." She looked at him seriously. "You'll be okay?" He nodded furiously.

"I'm fine, I'm not the one you should be worried about." He tossed a worried glance up at Rogue and Kitty's balcony. She watched him as he stood. _'Liar,'_ She thought. '_Someone has to.'_ He took off to be alone somewhere on the school grounds. Nothing remedied his problems like silence and alone time.

* * *

"Wha'cha doin',_ petite."_

Rogue had been in the courtyard of the institute all morning, meditating and then sparing with herself. She had on a black shirt tied over a green X-Suit. Remy had been watching her from a far until he realized he didn't know what she was doing. _'Don't dey got dat fancy trainin' room? Why she out here?'_ He smiled to himself. '_Maybe to tease me, non?'_

Rogue didn't pay him any mind, making slow and deliberate movements. "Not _now_, Swamp Rat." She muttered, sweat dripping down her brow. She had her hair in a stubby ponytail to try to keep cool. It wasn't helping much. He cocked an eyebrow as she continued. When it became clear he wasn't going to leave, she faced him. "I'm trainin'..." She eyed him wearily. She didn't know if she was in the mood for his antics.

"Why out here? Can't cha smash robots in dere?" She sighed.

"I can tear a sentinel apart, Remy. That's not the _issue_..." She stared at her gloved hands. "It's controllin' my powers, considerin' me safe to unleash on the public." She looked genuinely sad, he hated that. "It's a bit harder than it sounds." She knew demonstrating strength or control was not the issue, she had to finish her sessions with the professor. She still didn't feel like her mind could take it. "Ah gotta let the professor in my head again, Ah don't think Ah'm ready, yet." She hugged herself.

She was surprised when he pulled out his staff, eyeing her seriously. "Remy help ya train." He offered, his smile hanging off his mouth. She looked him up and down.

"Ah thought Ah owed_ you_ a favor?" She crossed her arms and examined him, she knew nothing was for free with him. His grin became a little sinister.

"Oh, Remy ain' forgot. I got dat in my back pocket, jus' feelin' generous." He slouched into a defensive stance. "Spar wit me. Fight at the power level you used to have." Rogue frowned.

"Ah don't know if Ah_ can_," She admitted, looking at her hands again.

"Jus' try."

* * *

Remy took a few lumps at first. Rogue was genuinely apologetic and insisted they stop before she hurt him. Somehow, he coaxed her into continuing. They took it slow, and soon, they were sparring continuously for hours. Rogue was light as a feather, her punches barely grazing Remy's skin. When she was finally tired, she laid beside him in the grass. They sat in silence, panting. "Why won't ya let dat professor fix up ya head?" He broke the silence suddenly.

Rogue stared at the cloudless sky, zoning out for a moment. "My psyches are bad_ enough_, but... I absorbed so much of her she was powerful enough to take me over. _Fully_. Last time, I tried to overcome my demons, I relapsed and disappeared for a few months." She dropped her head in shame. His heart hammered faster at the thought of her going radio silent. "I lived my life as _someone else_. Even if it's just a risk-" She gasped when Remy reached out and touched her hand.

"Remy jus' wondered," He told her, his face apologetic. "You don't have to explain any o'dat to me." He assured her. Rogue smiled wearily.

"No, it's okay. I'm not gonna be happy until I'm back on the team." She admitted. _'Or with you.'_ She'd enjoyed her times with Remy, but it didn't make up for her feeling productive. She desperately needed that feeling back. He nodded.

"Proud, _chére._ You got dis." Without thinking, he slipped out of his dog tags and hung them around her neck. "Fo' good luck. So, whenever ya do handle that..." He flashed her a cocky grin. "I'll be dere. And give Remy an excuse to get 'em back." He leered at her so hard she blushed.

"Ya goin'_ somewhere_, Lebeau?" He gave a noncommittal shrug.

"Remy always goin' somewhere." They laughed until the sunset, and then he decided not to press his luck. He was surprised when she threw her arms around him in an embrace, sniffing his scent. Like cinnamon and patchouli. When they pulled apart, he tucked some of her hair behind her ear, savoring the soft feeling. "Good luck,_ lapin_." He placed a gentle kiss on her hair before slipping into the shadows. Rogue rubbed the silver dog tags with her gloves.

She stayed sitting in the grass until it was dark, thinking about his fingers in her hair when Scott approached her.

"I heard Amara and Bobby saw you training." Rogue debates letting a cricket answer before speaking.

"Yeah, some." She told him haughtily. She had trained the entire day, from sun up to sun down. He nodded, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry," He said finally, his hand jammed in his pockets. Rogue finally stood and looked back at him. "I know how hard the past couple of months have been on you. Being off the team made it harder. Jean says I was too hard on you, I agree." He stepped forward, his brow creased into lines. "So I'm not gonna tell you what you need to do or should do." He clenched his jaw. "Tell me what it would take for you to see the professor."

Rogue chewed her lip. She didn't want to lose herself again. But if she didn't try, she'd lose the X-Men forever. "I just need to be ready." She told him, her voice pleading. "I just need time. I need for you and Logan to not be mad with me until then." He nodded sympathetically, if he had come around the other man would soon.

"Okay, well until then, we'll work on developing your new powers. At your pace." Rogue gave a small smile, feeling optimistic with Remy's dog tags on.

She shook her head yes. "Deal."


	3. Stay

Logan heaved a heavy sigh as the civilian dummy crashed through one of the Danger Room walls. Rogue smiled sheepishly, looking at him from under a green X-Suit and matching hood. "You're _still_ holdin' on to too much power, Rogue." He scrubbed a tired face in his hands, struggling to channel his frustration into something productive. "Think, you've been on missions before." He urged her. '_What're you so scared of?'_ She seemed afraid of her powers and simultaneously afraid to hold back.

She huffed, hovering in the air. "Ah've never been able to break a window by_ closin'_ it before!" She spat, her frustration rising as well. She'd hope to become to skilled with her powers so she'd be let back on the team. It turned out Carol Danvers' powers were easy to use, but difficult to master. Rogue was certainly finding so as she trained with them, endlessly. A memory of the strange woman clouds her mind and she goes quiet. Logan frowned, he'd known Carol personally. A fine woman, strong and honorable as an ox.

He tries not to think how he'd failed them both. "You've got to get as skilled with these powers as you are with _your_ mutation." He folded his arms, unimpressed. She slowly lowered to the ground and sat.

"I'm not_ skilled_ with my mutation, Logan. It's just a reaction. Inevitable." She hung her head between her legs and the older mutant frowned. "Maybe, I'm not really cut out for this." He wrinkled his nose.

"You used to be the best damn fighter on the team!" He barked. "Now, Kitty could probably take you since you're so _mopey."_ He poked. She stood, angry.

"I can't spar with her! I could _kill_ her on accident, you-"

"You're scared, Rogue." He moved close to her and stared into her eyes. "Your _fear_ is what's holding you back. Nothing else." He placed a hand on her shoulder when she looked away. "Good work, you'll get the hang of it soon." But it had already been a few weeks. He and Scott were working every day with her. She was improving, but something was blocking her way. Something Logan suspected was mental.

He left her alone in the Danger Room for a while, contemplating what she really wanted. She rubbed Remy's dog tags and thought about her growing pile playing cards. Though he would go undetermined times without visiting, every week he dropped her a different playing card on her window. She didn't know how he was so good at sneaking and being stealthy.

Even Logan didn't sense him, and now he patrolled the grounds looking for the essence of the cajun. She tucked it away in a book of hers with all the others, smiling. Her roommate was waiting for her when she left, twiddling her hands nervously.

"Hey, I wanted to talk to you..." Kitty paused and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "A room opened up, a room closer to the boys' wing, and _well_-"

"You wanna sneak Piotr into your room sometimes, and _Ah_ never go anywhere." Rogue finished with a dry smile. Kitty grinned apologetically.

"Kind of, b-but I _love_ being roommates! It's how we became friends." She smiled. "If you want me to stay, if you don't want to be alone-" Rogue waved her hands furiously.

"I_ love_ ya, Kit. But I'm totally okay with my own room." She squirmed as the younger girl hugged on to her, relieved that Rogue wasn't offended or sad. "Besides, maybe _Ah_ have someone to sneak in-" Kitty squealed, causing Rogue to cover her mouth with a gloved hand. "Relax, _will ya?_!" She placed her finger over her lips and Kitty nodded.

"Okay, okay. But jeez, Rogue. Save some romance for the_ rest_ of us." She didn't know how she knew, but she figured Remy would know when the room switch was finalized. And six days later, Rogue was rooming alone. She had just fallen into a restless sleep when he crept up to her window. If she didn't want a visitor, the window wouldn't be open. And if he wasn't supposed to watch her sleep, occasionally, the tree would not be beside the window.

He grinned, getting the window open in silence and shutting it after himself. He stood over her bed, the moonlight illuminating her pale skin and silver hair. He watched her, so innocent and sweet in sleep. You'd never know she could beat your ass by looking at her. He stooped beside her and marveled at her light snores. He must've breathed a little too hard, or she was a much lighter sleeper than she looked. Her eyes shot open and she grabbed his wrist.

He was dangling high above her in her grip, gray eyes struggling to adjust to the darkness. _'Someone's here...'_

He chuckled. "Dis seem_ familiar._" Rogue stifled a scream. "If ya don' wan Remy to climb in to visit, why ya leave da window open,_ petite?_" Rogue blushed furiously, taking care to set Remy down quietly. He was grinning at her as he looked around her room. Even in the dark, it looked as he'd imagined. Dark, rich textures and patterns everywhere. Band posters and Movie posters covered the walls. Rogue crossed her arms, but she couldn't hide the smile twitching on her lips.

"_Gumbo-_"

"Ah, Gumbo." He repeated. "Upgrade from Swamp Rat, _non_?" Rogue rolled her eyes, twinkling with a smile.

"What makes ya think you can climb into a gal's window _unsolicited?"_ She questioned, staring into his piercing eyes.

"Ya got no more roommate. Ya window was open..." He moved closer to her slowly, slithering like a snake in the dark. She didn't back up, though. She wasn't sure if he was charming her or if it were her own feelings, but she liked it. He pressed himself to her, the girl was only clad in an oversized wolf shirt and boy shorts. It was dangerous to be so close, Remy loved that.

He knew it was only seconds before he was smelled, but it had been a few weeks since he'd seen her. Longer than he'd like. His lust for her presence drove him up a tree and through her window. Rogue touched the lycra fabric of his suit that encased his face, tracing designs along his skin. "How _do you_ sneak like that? I've got training. I've never heard you, not once." His grin broadened.

"Tis a secret, _petite_. Master thief trainin'." She nodded in understanding. "Where ya t'ink I been," He asked her, gazing down at silvery streaks in her hair. He took a few strands in his hands with a smile. "Remy been trainin' all over the world."

"Ah thought you were blowin' me off." He pulled her closer and she gasped.

_"Never,"_ He whispered. He made the mistake of catching her stare for too long, again. She'd trapped him, lost hopelessly in a look that he wanted to taste. To feel. It was an expression he had to understand. He was beginning to think she was a vampire the way she could draw him in. Like a moth to the flame, Remy was signing up for a coma._ 'What a heavenly way to die...'_ He thought, shutting his eyes against better judgement.

Rogue's door opened like a gunshot, the fearsome silhouette of Logan in her doorway. The man was hunched over and shirtless. His claws glinted in the moonlight as he stood there. He had unsheathed his weapons the moment his nose got the scent. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, a deep shame coming over his face. "_Gambit,_" He snarled, his claws glinting in the moonlight. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?" He stepped inside the room, his teeth bared. Rogue instinctively moved in front of him as he edged towards the window. "I _thought_ I made myself clear," He pointed a claw at him, his hand shaking.

"Logan," Rogue began but he waved a hand at her.

"Not a _word_ out of you, he climbed into your _room!"_ He dropped his stare, avoiding the girl's face at all costs. His cheeks were burning red. "OUT," Remy hopped out the window and off the campus as fast as he'd appeared. Rogue watched out the window after him until his figure disappeared. "I'm not gonna punish you this time," He said, struggling to keep his voice level. "But if I_ catch_ you around him again you're grounded until your birthday." Rogue opened her mouth to complain but he spoke. "Your birthday in five years."

She clamped her mouth shut reluctantly. She hated bickering with Logan, she knew he did it to all the girls, but she'd been getting it bad lately. When she was younger, she liked when he would protect her peace and privacy. Now, not so much. There had never been a strong, male role in Rogue's life, she found herself as overwhelmed as he probably was. "Will you see if the professor is up?" He frowned, all the annoyance fading from his face.

"Why? What's the matter?" She dropped her stare.

"I want to... I want to_ work_ on my memories, for my powers." She twiddled her hands. "So I can be back on the team." She looked back towards the window. "We got close because I've had so much _time_ here, Logan. So much time." His shoulders sagged tiredly. If he had looked out for her the way he was supposed to, Gambit wouldn't have been climbing through her windows. "I'm_ tired _of fighting, Logan." She hugged herself. "Sometimes, it feels like you hate me. If I'm back on the team, I won't have time for him. Our relationship is too important-" He placed a hand on her head.

"_Stripes,_" He feels guilty when he realizes he hadn't called her thought in a while. He brought her close to him in a hug and sighed. "I have_ never_ hated you. Not ever." He looked down as they pulled apart. "I'm not upset with you,_ either_. I just don't trust him. Some things... Some things are going to make me react for a while." He told her apologetically. "But I would_ never_ give you an ultimatum to be in your life. I'm sorry I've been this overprotective guy, actin' like he owns you." He shuffled uncomfortably. "You're a young woman, now. You can do what you want. And regardless," He pulled her close to him again. "I'll be here if you get hurt." She wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"That's all I wanted to hear," She admitted, her eyes shut tight. He walked her over to her bed and examined her window wearily.

"Need a damn lock," He grumbled to himself. "Go on, get some sleep. I'll talk to Chuck in the mornin'."

* * *

It had been a long, grueling process to shut away the remnants of Carol Danvers. She had been a famous agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. One of Logan's friends and allies. She possessed almost an unlimited power that Rogue got only a part of. And that part made her the strongest X-Man. Her entire psyche resided in Rogue mind. The shock had nearly killed her, rendering her powers 'burnt out' for the first time since her mutation appeared.

There were lots of physical repercussions (A resulting coma-like state because her powers were not active, and her well being is tied to her mutation) and mental ones as well. She had no sense of self and a wealth of powers and abilities to control. Soon, all her psyches were fighting to gain freedom. But one reigned supreme. Carol felt like she'd push Rogue right out of her own head. She'd never encountered a psyche so strong, so belligerent. So volatile.

It was the closest Rogue had ever come to the abyss, and Carol's psyche taunted her the whole way.

The mutant couldn't blame her, Rogue had absolutely rendered her an invalid. She lapsed into her personality for two months, what she did as Carol, Rogue would never know. The experience will haunt her for the rest of her life.

"What if that happens_ again_," She asked him tearfully, staring out the window of his office. The bald telepath smiled at her patiently.

"We _won't_ let it." Logan promised. Rogue wiped at her eyes and nodded.

"Okay. I'm ready."

* * *

Scott eyed the emerald green hood and matching uniform wearily. "Everyone's gonna wanna change _their_ uniforms soon." He complained, scratching his head. Maybe he just didn't like change. He'd always thought their old uniforms were fine, they were the same team, again. But Rogue wasn't the same person. She had a whole new host of powers, and her dynamic within the team changed.

After an inner conversation, he made peace with it. He even understood it. Finally, he broke out into a wide grin. Remy was watching yards away from the top of a brick wall. She had just run a course on the institute's lawn to determine whether or not she could rejoin the team. "You did it, you're ready." Scott uncrossed his arms and held his hands out. "Welcome back, Rogue. It's about _time._" She ignored his hand and threw herself around him, almost knocking him off balance.

_"Thank you,"_ She exclaimed. Scott shook his head.

"You did it. Good job." Jean and Logan watched yards away under the gazebo. They could tell from both their body languages that Rogue had passed. Jean was smiling, but Logan's stare was focused on something else.

"I guess we know what happened." Jean said gladly. She leaned back with a contented sigh. Logan grunted in response, causing her to look at him.

"He's_ fine_, Logan. He keeps his distance a lot of the time. He's watching over her." She shut her eyes and nudged the man affectionately. He fought the grin tugging at his lips._ 'Why does she make it impossible to be grumpy_,' He thought, chuckling to himself. "I think it's sweet." He sighed loudly, grabbing a cigarette. Jean smiled and lit it with her telekinesis.

"You _would_, Red." They both watched Rogue fly, Jubilee firing fireworks around her. Jean watched Remy gaze at Rogue in sky.

"I have a feeling Remy's gonna need someone to save _him_, not the other way around." Before she forgot, she reached into her purse and grabbed a small package. "Um, here." He could smell the intense, ethnic smells once she pulled it out. He hoped it wasn't cologne, because he knew she knew him better than that. He was relieved to reveal incense, all sorts of patchouli._ 'Because of our conversation the other day...'_

"I was thinking about you." She told him, her eyes soft. "What you said. Let me know if they helped." They were completely blocking his sensitive nose.

"It's perfect, Jean. Thanks. I think I'll sleep good tonight."

Remy was in and out of the mansion for the next couple of hours, Logan dreamt of fiery red hair through the whole night.

* * *

After Rogue's second mission back with the X-Men, Remy got caught sneaking in her room. His lust was making him careless. He_ missed_ her. They hadn't even done anything since their bet, and he ached for her when they were apart. Just her company, like he'd said. He'd cursed himself. At first, keeping an eye on her while networking (and maybe working) in New York had been enough. Just enough to catch a glimpse, a whiff of magnolia.

They got him high like heroin. Soon, it wasn't enough. He was sneaking in when she was gone, smelling her perfume, leaving things rearranged so she could_ feel_ him there. And she would leave her window unlocked, her door open. It was a silent, cat and mouse game that drove the cajun out of his wits. Once Rogue was back on the team, she had team responsibilities. And she wasn't a kid anymore, she was leading drills. Helping train new recruits. All of her time was swallowed up as summer gave way to fall.

The mansion's enrollment numbers had never been higher. Rogue didn't have time to go lounging on field or on the roof of the institute. Not like before. Remy soon realized he'd have to _steal_ her time, like everything else. He was a thief. He scaled the tree by her window like a cat, opened her window to find Scott. He was in his X-Suit, rooting around.

Rogue had ruined her gloves in a session and he volunteered to fetch her more, not wanting to interrupt the teachable moment. The sun had barely set, for a moment, Scott was completely still. They locked eyes for a tense moment, and Remy wondered if he would scream. "Remy can explain," He began quickly.

"You have about ten seconds before Logan smells you. Probably_ less_." Remy paled. "Go Gambit, get out of here." He backed out of the window, then hesitated. Scott realized he was looking for Rogue, just a glimpse before he fled._ 'He's willing to risk Wolverine just to see her,'_ He thought himself. He crossed his arms.

"Do you know what insanity is?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Courtin' de girl wit de poison skin?" He answered. Scott shook his head.

"Doing the _same things_ and expecting_ different_ results." Remy would sooner take advice from a fish than the X-Men's leader. "If you want to see Rogue, earn it. She back on the team, now. You've got to earn a spot of her time. Be serious and man up." Remy clamped his mouth shut, surprised by the wisdom pouring out of the man's mouth. "Show her." With that, he doubled back with her gloves in hand.

Remy slid down the tree quickly and retreated off the campus, his head spinning. '_I got caught,'_ He thought, still in shock. Remy LeBeau did not get caught. He was a Master Thief._ 'What is dis girl doing to me?'_ He rubbed his head, scared he was getting soft. Mutants like Gambit, thieves like_ him_ did not get soft. They got killed. He was at war with his feelings. He had not felt better since he'd gotten to know Rogue, but he was losing focus on everything else._ 'Merde.'_

He knew what the answer was, but he didn't want to face it. Not yet. He stared at the massive building from far away._ 'Jus' a lil while longer.'_

* * *

The main X-Team arrived back to the institute to find students gathered on the lawn. Rogue had only just stepped off the X-Jet when Amara and Tabitha grabbed her by the arms, leading her to the front of the school. Her teammates followed curiously, displaying emotions from excitement to discomfort. There, with at least twenty purple, gold, and green balloons stood Remy, waiting for her. Rogue's face became redder than Jean's hair as the girls dragged her over.

Snickering, Jubilee fired fireworks behind him as she approached him, her face covered by gloved hands. Both Kitty and Jean were swooning, their hands clasped together as Remy and Rogue joined hands. "Ugh, sometimes I hate being an empath..." Jean began, batting at her eyes delicately. Scott and Kurt shook their heads in disgust.

"It's a_ date_, Jean. They're not getting married." Kurt said, eyeing his sibling strangely._ "Please,_ don't get married-"

Logan was scowling at Scott. He thought his words had gotten through to the southern mutant, but clearly not. Scott rubbed his face in his hands. "Should've been more specific with that_ talk_, Slim." He growled, walking off to find a beer. Remy beamed at Rogue, not paying attention to the crowd gathered at the spectacle.

"A lil birdie tol' Remy to try somethin' _different_." Rogue was always the girl who never got balloons on her birthday, or Valentines on Valentines day. She was overwhelmed by his display. "Would ya like to go to dinner, Rogue. On a date. No_ bet_s." All the girls present 'aw'd as if on cue. Both Scott and Kurt crossed their arms. Rogue placed a hand on her face.

"Ah would _love_ to." Both Kitty and Jean yelped, jumping up and down together. Scott shook his head. Rogue turned, finally acknowledging the crowd. "We can count on gettin' some_ privac_y, right?" She looked at her teammates specifically, her voice dangerous Kurt and Scott acted like they hadn't been listening all, whistling and staring up at the sky.

"Who,_ us_?" Kitty chuckled nervously. "Who would, like, do _that?_" Rogue also eyed the clawed mutant, standing with his back to the conversation but listening to every word.

"It's just a nice, innocent dinner." She smiled at Remy. "No bar fights, no absinthe." Logan's claws could be heard emerging a few feet away. Scott began to sputter, his face red.

"Did she say _absinthe?_"

* * *

The New Orleans mutant didn't scare easily, but he was terrified right now. She sat across him in the dimly lit restaurant, like she came to life from a painting. She had on long, black gloves, a dark scarf, and grey dress that went to her shins. She was ravishing, like a glass of milk Remy just wanted to drink. It was like his brain and his mouth were no longer connected. Words couldn't describe what he was seeing, what he was feeling.

She smiled at him across the table, delicately bringing a spoon to her lips. She sipped on the gumbo, laughing as the irony of them eating the New Orleans soup. "Ya starin'," She said softly, gazing into his eyes. He grinned, the toothpick still in his mouth. He hadn't touched his food, his meal was right across from him.

"Forgive me, ya look amazing,_ chére._ Hard t'focus on anyt'ing else." She dropped her eyes when his stare made her feel naked, modest. He loved making her blush, making her eyes go elsewhere for salvation. Like a breath after a swim. He leaned forward to say something suggestive when he noticed two cowboy hats. Red Hair. _'Non,'_ He begged. _'I did this de right way, non!'_

"_Remy_?" He turned his attention back to her, his heart hammering in his chest.

Jean and Logan had their faces buried in menus, trying to disguise themselves. "Like tw_o cowboy hats_ aren't attracting attention in Manhattan, Jean." He snarled under his breath. He wanted to laugh, but he was doing his best to keep a straight face. Jean scowled at him, angry she'd been dragged along to be guilty by association.

"I only came to keep _you_ from doing something stupid," She said hotly. "And your hair and _facial hair_ also attract a lot of attention-"

_"Easy,_ Red." Logan barked, taking a cautious glance at their table. "Gumbo noticed us, but Rogue hasn't. She's too busy_ day dreamin'_ over there about him." Jean tittered beside him.

"Can you blame her?" He looked at the red haired psychic in shock, then a mischievous smile slid over his face.

_"Jean Elaine Grey_," He mockingly chastised. Jean shrugged under her cowboy hat.

"A girl can dream, can't she?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick..." He turned back to check the table and he found it deserted, money on the table. "Son of u-" He turned to see Jean ordering with a waiter. He groaned. _"Damn it,_ Red-"

"I'm hungry!" She whined, giving him puppy dog eyes. He went silent, the battle already lost. He knew what she was doing and he would let her, especially if it was an excuse to spend more time together. He looked in his wallet, a grimace on his face. He saw it in the professor's eyes, heard of Apocalypse's visions. She didn't have forever to be of this earth. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." He opened the menu grudgingly and began reading it.

xxx

Rogue stumbled after Remy, curious what was so important they had to run off from dinner. She thought it was cute how flustered he'd gotten, how badly he wanted to impress her even though she was already impressed. She humored him, and followed as they walked through the stores downtown. Luckily for him, he had always been good at thinking on his feet. '_Remy startin' to think there are others on this date wit us.' _He looked around in suspicion.

He froze when the girl paused, sniffing in an animated fashion. _"Sulfur_," She reported.

"Brimstone." Remy followed, his red and black eyes looking around.

"My brother." She took Remy's hand and they ran down an alley. When she was certain nobody was looking, she lifted him into the air and towards a wooded area where they wouldn't be seen. "Better safe than sorry." Rogue insisted, headed for the secluded clearing they met at months ago. He looked up at her in wonder. Flying never got old to him, it was an indescribable sensation.

They finally felt alone, nothing but trees around them as Rogue sat, indian style. Remy sat beside her and for a while, they were silent.

"Did'ja become a Master Thief?" She asked, looking at him as the wind blew. He smiled, but it was fake. He never wanted to talk about what he was up to when he wasn't with Rogue. It was never anything good.

"Course I did," He lied with a cocky grin. He hates lying to her, it feels heavy on his heart. But he has to, to keep them both safe. "Where ya think Remy been all dis time?"

"Then how about stayin'?" Remy's sight went black and white. He knew he was falling for the girl, but he'd never imagined she'd ask him to _stay._ That he'd be tempted, that he wanted to wipe his slate clean to get that chance with her. It threw a wrench in all his plans. Like the girl who can't touch. Like the girl under lock and key. Keep her as far as his staff, but now she was asking him to stay. They shared something undeniable, and she was surrendering to it.

_"Petite..."_ She steels her face, but it's not the reaction she wanted. He flicked his nose. "People tend to get hurt when Remy stick around." He leaned an elbow on his knee, staring out over the wooded horizon.

"I can take a tank to the face, y'know." She reminded him. "I'm _not s_cared." He chuckled at her tenacity. '_I am da one who scared, chére.'_ He looked at her, the look in his eyes stealing her breath with ease.

"Can ya_ heart_?" Silence passed between them as the wind blew. Now he was beginning to sound like Logan, like Scott_. 'Do you not even trust yourself?_' She wondered. She shrugged, unsure of what to say. He moved closer to her, grabbing her head gently with his hand. "Neva been much of'a team player." He admitted, his eyes solemnly. "But... For_ you_, Gambit could certainly try." He pulled her close and looked out into the dark behind her, his face in a frown.

He knew he would be putting her and all of them in danger. When they pulled apart, she stared fearfully into his eyes. "_You mean it_?" He could hear the anxiety in her voice.

"Course Remy do," He cooed. "Remy finish up some business and den see about stayin." He smirked when her face broke out into a smile. "Now, let's enjoy de time we got 'fo I return Xavier's_ precious_ jewel." He gasped in surprise when she leaned her head on him, savoring the moment they could be close. He had wanted to give the institute a try, just to be around her. But that solidified his decision to return to her, to find her again above all else. No matter what.

He wrapped an arm around her and they sat in silence until he rode her home on his bike.

Both Logan and Scott were waiting outside, but somehow, Jean and Kitty had convinced them not to go off seeking Rogue. Scott stayed anchored at Jean's side, but Logan marched over to them both, ignoring the smells and examining Rogue. When she seemed alright, his glare landed on Remy. "Should've gotten her here_ earlier._" He complained, his teeth bared.

"It's 9:45, Logan." Rogue said with a flat face. He sniffed, not breaking eye contact with Remy.

"Mean no harm,_ homme."_ He rolled his eyes, backing off so they could address each other.

"You promise me, you _promise_ you'll be back?" He tucked some of her silver hair behind her ear.

"Remy ain' never get his dog tags back, did he?" He eyes them hanging around her neck, then her cleavage. "Def be back for dose..."

_"Eyes up,_ Swamp Rat." Logan snarled, and he took that as his cue. He kissed Rogue's gloved hand, staring into her eyes the whole time.

"Till next time." He whispered. When Logan grunted he backed off. Disappearing into the night under Scott and Logan's watch. She didn't see him again for over a year.

* * *

After four months of no contact, no playing cards, Rogue realized he wasn't going to come join the institute. She even made it another month without a freakout. Without crying. Without even being surprised._ 'Why wouldn't he run for the hills,'_ She thought._ 'I could kill him on accident a hundred different ways. I'm dangerous.'_ She lamented to herself after a Danger Room session._ 'Nobody settles down with dangerous.'_

The signs had been there, Logan and Scott had tried to tell her. She didn't want to see any of it, she wanted to take the snake oil from the salesman. Learning experiences, she guessed.

She was doing fine. She'd been fine. She knew she'd_ be_ fine. Until a dingy, ripped up, Queen Of Hearts floated out of Rogue's locker. Everyone froze. Nobody had so much as uttered Remy's name after he went ghost for a month. They knew it was a sensitive subject for her, especially since he disappeared right after a date. Logan had even stalked the grounds trying to find some trace that proved he'd come to see her.

He could find none. The man didn't know whether to be angry or relieved. He was far away from the institute, his scent had left. Rogue reached down with a trembling hand, still in her X-Suit. She threw the card angrily back in her locker, livid to be reminded of that liar. _'Why did he tell me all those things,_' She thought angrily. She didn't realize she was making things begin to rattle in the locker room._ 'Why did he say he liked me and then disappear, why?_'

_"Rogue?"_ Kurt began unsurely.

Jean crossed over wordlessly, shocking all of her teammates by giving the girl a hug. She could feel Rogue project in the hallway, she couldn't help it. She had been weeping silently for months. She patted her head as Rogue began to cry, Kitty looking on. "There,_ there."_ She said sympathetically. Rogue had never experienced anything like this before. She remembered the first time Duncan made her cry, the first time a boy broke up with her. The pain was very real. She knew exactly what Rogue was going through. Every girl did, they'd just already gone through it.

"Why did he_ do it_, Jean?" She sniffed, her face pressed against her X-Suit. "He coulda jus' left me _well_ alone." She said angrily to herself. She felt stupid, crying in front of all her teammates like a weakling. Like they'd told her so.

"Sometimes, people hurt others without meaning to. Doesn't make it hurt any less, though." They pulled apart and Jean looked into her eyes. "I've been there, _many_ times. It'll be okay, I promise." Rogue nodded, wiping her eyes. "Who knows. Maybe he'll even have a good reason." Rogue scoffed.

"He better be on his death bed." She said, crossing her arms. Her face soured as she thought of him.

* * *

He wasn't on his death bed, but he was imprisoned. Captured. Trapped, against his will. He lost count of the days after two months. He still remembered the last time he saw her, the last time he kissed her hand. It felt like a lifetime ago, now. His hair was shaggy and long, crawling down his back. His face was covered in a perpetual fuzz, he doesn't look like the same charmer. He's bruised and battered, waiting for more pain.

The white skinned mutant stared at him in disgust from outside his cage. "We could've had a _good deal,_ Remy." The cajun bristles involuntarily. He stares hatefully at his blue, spiky armor and his pointy teeth. "I could've made you powerful, _so_ powerful." He spat through the bars of his confinement. His captor snickered. "So tenacious." His grin shattered. "Tell me where the diaries are. _Beg_ for forgiveness." Remy's eyes narrowed.

_"Non,_" He said simply. The psychic shook his head.

"Why do you insist on being difficult? How many years of your life are you willing to surrender, here?" He clenched a fist and Remy screamed, writhing on the ground. "You're going to tell me where the diaries are, then, you're going to infiltrate the X-Men and betray them." He clutched tighter. "Penance for having the gall to fall for the little _X-Girl._"

Spit dribbled down Remy's chin as he waited for the pain to cease. It never did. "_No_." He bit out through clenched teeth. "I won't." Mr. Sinister laughed.

"I'm beginning to think you like pain, Remy LeBeau. That is the only logical explanation." He became cross again at the mere thought. How did Remy think he would fool the master telepath? His mutation made him unreadable by telepaths, but that didn't mean he couldn't pick up on his_ feelings._ He knew everything changed when he'd gone to intercept Destiny's daughter. He disappeared for months at a time going radio silent. "No more." He growled.

"You will serve me or you will _suffer."_ Remy stared at the wall ahead of him, refusing to say anything else. "Fine. Hope you can live with your choice." He turned, a dark blue cape billowing behind him as he left Remy to suffer alone. He laid on the dirty floor, his shirt torn to shreds. His staff laid against the wall, taunting him. It'd been so long since he'd held it, he wasn't certain he could use it anymore.

Throughout all the pain, the misery, the hopelessness... He saw her face. He prayed to Rogue, that he would get to see her another day. That she would save him. He would rather rot in Sinister's cage then have the X-Men come there. She would be in danger, and Sinister knew too many of his secrets. If being there would keep her safe, he would do it.

The worst part was he knew she probably hated him. Thought he'd found some bimbo, someone easy to be with and moved on without another thought to her, and it couldn't be farther than the truth. _'I'm sorry...'_ He had had no intentions of breaker her heart, but as he feared, it'd been inevitable._ 'Didnt' mean for it to be like dis, disappear unexplained.'_ He knew she blamed herself, hardest of all.

_'I'm sorry...'_

* * *

Rogue gazed her new uniform in the mirror. It had been over a year since she went on a date with Remy. She hardly thought about it anymore, her mind occupied with the drama of the institute. The vigorous training ahead of her and her team. Rogue was newly twenty, summer fading into fall once again. Her dating prospects were as pathetic as they had been when she was in high school. She'd all but given up on expecting a relationship.

Ororo had been all about self expression and having suits made as they saw fit. They were young adults now, they should be able to represent themselves the way they wanted to. Rogue was trying one with a green body, a black cropped jacket, and black panels on the legs to match her boots. It was very biker chic, slick, and more form fitting than her juvenile uniform.

She liked it, it matched a feeling she hadn't been able to describe since she absorbed Carol.

It certainly fit a mood. It fit her new and stolen powers. She gazed at herself for a moment longer before tucking sunglasses into her short hair. It would have to do. They had a mission to go on, and she couldn't hold them up any longer than she already had. They were on their way to some island called to Genosha to investigate mass mutant disappearances.

She had a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach, like something big was about to happen. "You ready?" Her old roommate's voice ripped her from a daydream.

"Yeah," She slipped brown gloves on that Logan had gifted her. "Comin'."


	4. Rescue

Remy was certain whatever Sinister did to him was killing him. He was in so much pain he could barely breathe, barely fight to keep his eyes open. It would be so easy to just give up. This is not how he wanted to go out, at the feet of a monster. But the great beyond seemed to be calling out for him. It'd been an indeterminable amount of time since he'd been free from Mr. Sinister's torture. Experimented on, his powers exhausted and built back up again.

He hopes the people who knew him, knew _of_ him, never find out this is how he went. On the floor of a dungeon, shivering and in pain. Afraid. Begging for another chance to do everything right. He felt someone's touch, something other than pain._ 'I'm hallucinatin'.'_ He thought, his eyes fluttering. The light burnt his tired eyes, kept in the dark for months. There were no windows in Sinister's dungeon._ 'What is dis' light?'_

_"Remy?"_ Someone was definitely there. He struggled to open his eyes, and he saw lots of red. _'Wha...'_ "Remy, can you hear me?" His eyes focused and he saw a massive hole torn in Nathaniel Essex's Genoshan fortress, where Remy had been hidden for over a year. _'Dey found me,'_ His heart jumped in his throat. He tried to sit up but, an arm ushered him back.

"You're really hurt, Remy." A familiar voice said. "Try not to move." It was Scott, hovering over him with a frown. _'He neva called me Remy.'_ He thought. _'Damn, I am dyin'._' The ginger telepath was beside him, a slender hand on his shoulder. There was an unholy ruckus in the room, but he couldn't see who was carrying on.

_Jean floated majestically out of the X-Jet, using a portable Cerebro with terrifying ease. A massive, telepathic signature along with a cluster of other X-Genes alerted them to the strange and mysterious island. It marketed itself as a 'Mutant Retreat' that mutants were reportedly not returning from. She removed the device, pointing to the cliffside on the beach. "In there," She instructed. "The mutant we're tracking is behind these rocks. They're fake, they're hidden inside." Rogue nodded, wiping her hands. _

_Logan snarled and dragged his indestructible claws against the weak metal, revealing something inside. Rogue ripped her hands into it and peeled it back like it was tin foil. In a few moments, they were granted access. They jumped through the hole, landing right in the middle of a damp dungeon. It appeared empty for the time being, only a lone mutant laying in a cage. _

_Everyone __ stood in silence as they realized what had happened. Remy had gone missing only because some anti-mutant terrorist had captured him. Rogue paled several shades, the horrible truth dawning on her. 'Someones been keepin' him here.' She flew from the team like a bullet, tearing the steel bars apart in seconds. Jean was beside her next, acting quickly and calmly. _

_"Remy," Rogue choked out hoarsely. She had spent so much time cursing him for leaving her, for lying, she felt she'd caused this. She held his head in her shaking, gloved hands. "Remy, wake up." Jean closed her eyes and placed a hand on his sweaty forehead. _

_"He's unconscious, but alive." She offered, her voice still grim. Rogue clutched a fist tight. She wanted to know who'd done this, and now, her wish was granted when a hulking telepath in blue armor appeared. He had a glistening red jewel on his forehead, and his teeth were pointy, like a vampire's. He was looking down on Rogue and Remy, as though she disturbed his items without asking._

_"Who the fuck are you," Rogue said, her lip curling. Scott and Logan edged behind her, marveling at the mutant they'd never seen before. They could just sense his power, and that he was up to no good. Unfortunately, Rogue was in a fighting mood after finding Remy like that. _

_"My friends call me Mr. Sinister," He sneered, his mouth upturning into a grin. "I see you've met Gambit." Rogue shot to her feet in an instant, launching herself at the mutant. Jean rose with her as Scott began screaming orders, all hell breaking loose. Jean attempted to enter Sinister's mind to find he was, in fact, a powerful telepath himself. 'Damn,' She thought. 'They always are.'_

_She wasted no time switching to an offensive tactic, lifting a massive test tube with ease and hurling it at him. Both Rogue and the machinery crashed through him as though he were Kitty. Rogue wasted no time doubling around, launching herself at him with an already ungloved hand. He screamed, narrowly missing absorption. 'That would've been miserable if she'd touched me.' He knew all about the girl's powers. _

_He waved a hand and smacked her back with telekinesis, scowling. Kurt teleported Kitty behind him, but they met the same fate. Scattered by his expert psychic abilities. Scott flipped, shooting an optic blast when he landed. It too, sailed through him, leaving the mutant untouched. Piotr wrenched a massive console out of the wall and hurled it for the telepath. _

_No matter what the team tried against him, he was impenetrable. Rogue felt helpless and frustrated, her powers swelling inside her. She felt Ororo's powers at her fingertips suddenly. Lightning flowed in the palms of her hands. "You..."_

Mr. Sinister screamed as Rogue managed to encase him in metal refuse from his lab. Her eyes glowing a fierce white, lightning began to collect in her hands. Shooting an optic blast, she shot the metal with lightning. Sparks flew, and Sinister was sent sizzling, careening into the wall with a groan. Piotr ran to hit him with a metal rod, but he was flung away, the telepath panting. '_This girl...'_

Sinister raised a hand and clutched a fist, causing Rogue to fall to one knee. She screamed out in surprise. "You are such a mid tier mutant_ determined_ to be great. The truth is," He grinned as he approached her. "You don't have_ any_ power of your own." He jumped back, narrowly missing a kinetically charged card. He turned in surprise to see Remy sitting up, cards in his hand. His teeth were bared, a murderous look in his black and red eyes.

His two favorite mutants, Jean and Scott, stooped beside him. Frowning. Taking his chance, Scott took a shot at the mutant's chest. The blast left a sizzling mark on his armor. Sinister fell to the ground, clutching his chest. Rogue took the opportunity, ripping metal out of the wall and slamming it into him, lightning striking again. She strained against him with telekinesis, Jean joining in the battle.

The mutant women had him backing away, his eyes rolling wildly in fear. Between them both, he was overpowered. Screaming, he teleported away before he was destroyed by their wrath. Jean looked at the spot he had last been with a frown on her face. She knew it wouldn't be the last they saw of him. Not by a long shot. Scott came and stood beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't like this." He said, his jaw clenched. She sighed.

"Me either."

Rogue hurried to Remy's side, her skin still iron like Piotr's. Kitty and Kurt eyed her wearily, as she wrapped her arm around him. "I _gotcha,_" She told him, her expression tired.

_"Chére..."_ He had dreamt of this endlessly. She was beside him, holding him up. That was worth a year of torture. For him, she had used her powers in a way she never had before. Nobody said anything, but no one had ever seen her control multiple abilities while lucid. She tried to use her strength to make him easy to lift, but she found she_ couldn't._ She stood on her tip toes and tried to fly, but nothing happened_. 'What,'_ She thought in confusion. It was like she ran out of juice._ 'I did just recall a lot of powers instantly,_' Nothing like this had happened since she relapsed to Carol.

She had been in complete control, but at what cost? Remy eyed her wearily as her posture began to droop. Was something wrong? "_Chére?_" She stumbled, making him worry. He tried to shift his weight off of her, his face in a frown. He found himself too weak to stand. "Wha's wrong?" Logan eyed her intently.

"Y'alright?" He asked, already examining her. She paused.

"Ah can't use my powers..." She mumbled, looking at her shaking hands. Her vision was doubling, spots lining her view. He stopped, looking at her carefully. Remy gasped_. 'Are her powers burnt out?_' He thought of the potential possibilities. Touching, holding hands, _kissing._ They were both half dead, and it was still all he could think about. Logan didn't seem to share his enthusiasm, his face was grim.

"Mr. Logan," Kitty called through cupped hands. She stood next to Kurt and Jean, waiting for them. "What is it?"

"It's Rogue's powers." He said distantly, feeling her forehead. _'Burnin' up.'_ Piotr unhooked Remy from her arm as he strained to peer at her. _'What's de matter?'_ Logan bit the finger of his glove and yanked, his face even. He looked at every disaster scenario as a learning experience. He'd been learning about Rogue's mutation and it's adverse effects ever since her relapse in high school.

When she absorbed Carol, Hank learned a lot about her body's relationship with her mutation. Maybe even things that could help her control it someday. Although it appeared a good thing, her mutation being negated it was bad. It was akin to a telepath getting a migraine or a nosebleed after using their powers. He frowned as he held his hand to her skin and there was no reaction.

He changed the position, his frown deepening. Scott came over, tired of waiting inside the jet. He frowned when he saw his glove off. "What's the matter?"

"Rogue's_ mutation_ stopped," Kitty reported, watching in discomfort as Logan touched her skin. It was weird, wrong for nothing to happen. As unnatural as it was unfortunate she had them in the first place. Rogue blinked, too exhausted to be shocked by the sensation. She normally would've been overjoyed. She just felt like she was about to take a long, long nap. She buckled in Logan's arms, making him frown.

_"Whoa_," He began, hoisting her up. "Stripes-" Her knees buckled again and she went to the ground, the other mutant with her.

"_Logan_-" Her eyes were shut before she hit the ground. Remy screamed out and dropped from Piotr's grip to her side. It'd all happened so suddenly. She'd been up and walking, now she was out.

"What's _happened_ t'her!" Remy cried, shaking her. He realized he didn't fully understand how she'd acquired her new powers, or what they'd done to her. Logan frowned, pressing his hand against her face. His teeth were clenched, his eyes focused.

"Ever since she got_ Carol's_ powers, hers are kind of unpredictable." He explained, watching over her carefully. He was holding his breath, his fingers indenting the flesh on her cheek._ 'C'mon, Stripes.'_ He sighed when her eyes fluttered open and she looked around, taking a deep breath. "_There_ she goes," He leaned back, wiping his hand over his face as if he hadn't been fully panicking. Ever since Hank said there was a chance she could lapse into a coma or worse, her blackouts made him nervous. Very nervous. "Why don't you just _stick_ to the powers you've been blessed with." He suggested, eyeing her wearily.

Scott nodded, his arms folded in agreement. "You remember what Hank said, you're on supposed to be on _probation_ from phasing into other powers." He said, wagging a finger. Jean sighed from beside him. "You don't want to lose control or hurt yourself." He nagged, his brow furrowed.

"You were amazing, though. You sent him screaming." Jean admired, deciding to keep to herself how much had been her own, massive telekinesis. She looked between the two southern mutants, a grin on her face. Neither of them were listening, they were gazing longingly into each others eyes. For over a year, they had thought about each other, wondered if and when they'd see the other again. She stood close to him and he brought a sore arm to her side. The pain was worth her embrace.

_"Remy,_" He smiled at her.

"Silly girl," He sighed, placing a shaking hand on her hair. "Rushin' out dere." She brought her arms around him, surprisingly gentle.

_"I'm glad you're alright._"

"Me too, _chére._ You were all I thought about." Scott groaned as Logan stalked to the jet. What he was smelling was different now, longing. Fear. Relief. An overwhelming, sappy feeling on it's way to love. He could deal better with those than the wonton bursts of lust he'd been exposed to. Not even Remy could be that good an actor. He had been terrified for her, and rose to defend her when he'd been too weak to defend himself. It was good enough, for now.

* * *

Remy waited anxiously to be reunited with Rogue after Hank checked her out. He had never been inside the institute before. The place was huge, with it's own hospital wing. The blue mutant had stitched him up expertly, setting him up comfortably in an infirmary bed. He was malnourished, had some cuts and abrasions that were infected, and some ribs that would need require long healing. He would just need to rest and recuperate.

Rogue, however, was a different story. The professor, Logan, Hank, Scott, and Ororo were all staring at her as she sat on the cot. Besides a migraine, her vitals were stable. But none of her mutations were active. She didn't have access to Carol Danvers' powers, other absorbed abilities, _or_ her own natural mutation. Upon touch, nothing happened.

This had never happened to her before. She had longed to be able to touch others, but that didn't mean she didn't_ want_ her powers. She wanted _control_, not for her abilities to abandon her. She felt naked, unable to defend herself or the people she cared about. Scott stared at the ground, his mouth covered by his hand. _'What does this mean?'_ He wondered grimly. Was Rogue still a mutant? Of course she would be, but even with all his complaints he couldn't imagine being powerless. He couldn't imagine being in her position.

Charles sensed a lot of conflict coming from the girl, and rightly so. "Hank," He looked up to the doctor. "What do you think?" Rogue looked fearfully at him. He exhaled.

"I don't think it's permanent, at all. For how long this_ lasts,_ it's anybody's guess. I wish I had more conclusive news. Sorry, Anna." She shook her head, still feeling a little dazed. She rubbed her temple, trying to organize her thoughts.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." She dropped her stare. Logan scratched the back of his neck.

_"Sorry_ Stripes, I know how glad you were to be on the team..." Ororo flashed a sympathetic smile.

"Perhaps you will only need a little time to get some rest. Your body will tell you what it needs." She assured her, patting her arm slowly. "Don't stress, Rogue."

"Your powers have been through a lot in a short time. A break sounds like a good idea." Scott added, his face disturbed. She nodded, there was no sense flinging herself in the middle of danger with no powers. Even she wasn't that stubborn, and she could think of a few ways to make use of this period. Sensing the question on her mind, Xavier chuckled.

_"Yes_, Remy is in our infirmary. If you're feeling alright..." She was standing instantly, on her way to check the wing. Ororo chuckled lightly as they watched her go. She found him in the very last bed by the window, sitting awake.

_"Rogue-_" She tried to fly to him, but couldn't. She walked over and clasped hands with him, examining him for damage. She took his head in her gloved hands, staring deeply into his eyes. She remembers how fast her heart hammered when she saw him.

"Remy, are you _alright?_" She wrapped her arms around him tight, thinking about the last time she saw him before they rescued him in Genosha. "I missed you, I missed you_ so much._" He wrapped one good arm around her, the other in a sling.

"Remy dream about ya, evr'y night." He looked into her stormy eyes, memorizing the color. "Ya _scared_ Remy, earlier. Ya powers dangerous, _non_? Don't do dat again." Her face fell a little and he frowned. "Y'okay-" He gasped when she leaned down and pressed her lips to his, her eyes shut. He felt nothing. Nothing happened. He shut his eyes, grabbing the back of her head.

They kissed until she pulled away. "Ah'm not controlling them, they just burn out easily ever since Ah absorbed Carol." She explained solemnly. He nodded in understanding. "This is the worst it's ever been, but Hank says it's still temporary." He took her hand in his and peeled her glove off. He had been dying to touch her bare hand since he met her. He wasn't gonna miss this chance.

He stared in her eyes as he rubbed soft, perfect hands. She felt her cheeks tinge with a blush. "Remy always wanted to do dat."

"Me too," She admitted, a smile on her face. It faded, making him frown. "I don't want this time to go to waste, but..." She chewed her lip. "I don't want to do something and make a mistake just _because_ this has happened. I want _control,_ I want to move past this in my life." She clenched her other hand in a fist, a determined look in her eyes. He stared at her in admiration. She was a tough cookie, she never ran away from a tough fight.

He squeezed her hand tight. "Dat sound good to Remy, y'need to take it easy for a while anyway. Remy help ya wit dat." He sighed, a million things plaguing his mind. He knew it would not be the last he saw of Sinister. The X-Men either, and that worried him. Lest they find out his connection or come by harm. He needed to go, to evade him. To hide the diaries. To keep Rogue safe. But he didn't want to leave her side. He took her head into his hand.

"What if, I dunno... What if you'n Remy took a trip." He leaned in. "_Jus'_ while ya powers gone." He grinned at her but she frowned.

_"Remy,"_

"Ya cain't be on dis team wit'out yo' powers, Rogue. Not wit'out a death wish." He frowned at her, suddenly intense instead of laid back. She'd never seen him so earnest before, a wild look in his eyes. He'd spent over a year dreaming of her face, thinking of the girl he was getting to know to get through hell. He wasn't about to lose her to some hero bullshit.

"I didn't say that," She responded. "But I keep tellin' you this is my home, this is _my family_. I'm askin' you to join us,_ gain_ one." She gripped his hand with her bare one. "We're all stronger together, Remy." He grimaced. '_If only ya knew how wrong ya were, chérie.'_ He heaved a heavy sigh.

"Look, Remy feel like he belong beside _ya._" Rogue blushed. "But, he jus' not so sure he belong here." She shook her head.

"It would't be that bad, you'd fit in here." It was hard to resist her face as she looked at him hopefully. And, at least for a little while, they could play house. He looked down at their hands intertwined, and he knew he wouldn't go anywhere. "At least til you heal-" He laughed, placing a finger on her lips.

"Shh,_ chére._ Remy stay, at least a little while." She pulled his lips to her in another kiss, surprising him again. No matter how many times they kissed, touched, caressed they couldn't get used to it. It was electrifying every time. Their faces broke apart and she leaned her head in the crook of his neck. Remy frowned, staring out into the halls of the institute. _'How long can I keep dis up,'_

* * *

"I don't have a problem with it." Kitty was lounging on her side, an elbow propping her head up. The main X-Team had hung back in the Danger Room to have a discussion. Scott was standing in front of them, his arms crossed beside Remy. Rogue was on his other side, her arms crossed as well. Daring Scott to come to hard at him for something. Her powers still had not returned, and Rogue was doing her best to live a normal life.

A normal life where Remy was never too far from her. His reasoning was that she couldn't defend herself, but even a depowered Rogue could take out some grown men as a teenager. Remy stood, embarrassed in his blue and yellow New Recruit suit. He felt too old to be considered such, even if it was true. And Logan and Scott seemed to be enjoying it too much.

So, he wore his trench coat to keep his individuality (and because he knew Rogue thought he was handsome in it). "Ve _do_ kind of need the force on the team." Kurt admitted slowly, his tail flicking. There had been a gap on the team again since Rogue lost her powers. Remy took to the Danger Room and training well. He had been skilled enough to be Magneto's Acolyte, he was skilled enough to be an X-Man. Piotr had made a great adjustment to the team and had the same background.

Jean nodded. "Rogue's _still_ healing, Scott... I don't see the harm in-" Both Logan and Scott's following stares quieted her.

"Gambit deserve same chance as Piotr." The Russian added quietly. Kitty smiled up at him. Logan huffed.

"Because you're_ harmless_, Peter. Magneto blackmailed you, you don't steal little girls-" Logan snarled again, thinking of the slimy mutant dragging Rogue to New Orleans.

_"Logan_," Rogue snapped, and the man was silent. It wasn't his decision anyways, it was theirs. "Jean's right. I'm still healin'." She turned to face Scott. "Don't be petty." Jean looked at him expectantly. He sighed.

"Fine, I guess we can test run it until Rogue's mutation returns." He relented reluctantly. "But no guarantees there'll be a spot once she's better." He stood closer to the former Acolyte. "You're pretty good, but you can't beat years of experience with the team." He told him with a smile, clapping a hand on Remy's shoulder. Rogue growled when the southerner's eyes narrowed.

_"Scott,_" Jean began in a voice the precluded an intrusion in his brain. Remy smiled.

"S'okay, belle rouge." He said softly. "Remy will be happy to help to_ mon chére_ feelin' better." He bowed towards the other members of the team and Kitty stood, stretching.

_"Great._ Now that_ that's_ settled, can we get something to eat?" She rubbed her stomach with a frown. Logan shook his head with a laugh.

"For someone so little, Half-Pint, I dunno how you eat so much." He remarked, staring at her remarkably skinny waist. "Need to get ya checked for a tapeworm." She stuck her tongue out in disgust as they filed out of the Danger Room, leaving the two southern mutants alone. Rogue stared up at him, dragging her bare, ringed fingers through his hair. Auburn locks grazed his shoulders now as he stared at her.

She took a hair tie off her wrist and tied his hair up. "I think the New Recruit uniforms make ya look _handsome_." She sighed, tugging on his jacket. He brought his lips to hers in a slow kiss. He wrapped his arm around her as they both descended to the ground, the cajun laying over her. He knew she wasn't happy to be without her powers, but he was grateful for these moments they could have without her scarf, these moments he stole. He _was_ a thief.

He stared at her, her X-Tunic not zipped all the way up her bust, his eyes taking a detour down her cleavage. _'God grant me the strength...'_ They had talked about sex as soon as her powers disappeared. Rogue didn't want to rush into any intimate encounters because she_ could,_ that was the opposite of who she was. But, she had no qualms with getting hot and heavy. Way hot and heavy. Remy learned he had way more control and self restraint than he'd ever expected.

He pulled away, dragging fingerless gloved fingers through her auburn locks. He was convincing her to let it grow a little, teasing her shoulders with a gentle wave. It didn't matter to him if she shaved her head, she would always be the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. "Remy honored y'would lowa ya status to hang out wit' a New Recruit..." He left a trail of kisses on her neck.

Rogue chuckled. "Y'think I_ care_ about my reputation?" She questioned, leaning back lazily. He stared at her with a dopey grin. '_God, I love her.'_ He thought. He was careful about saying it, knowing what it mean to her. He didn't want to scare her away. But, he knew he did. She rose, sending him a sultry smirk. "Come spar with me outside!" She drawled, stretching. "I'm feelin' soft." Remy climbed to his feet like a panther.

"Soft ain' da word, _chére_." He said, admiring her figure as she sauntered into the hallway. That's when a deafening blast was heard. The force sent him crashing to the ground, his heart leaping when he thought about Rogue._ 'No,'_ He thought, looking at the empty room around him. _'Damn, walked right into the explosion!'_ His head screamed. He raced forward, his hand numb as he gripped his staff.

Smoke was pouring in, he had no idea what was happening. Who had attacked them. He screamed when he felt bare hands brace him, straining to see through smoke. "_Rem_," Rogue breathed. He grabbed her tight, covering both their faces with his trench coat so they didn't breathe the smog. _'Damn it,'_ Rogue thought angrily. _'Leave it to me to not have any powers.'_ She held him tight. "Ah'm okay, Ah felt something was off. Ah moved just in time." She told him, staring at the hole in their walls.

He stared, waiting for the assailant to reveal themselves. "Good girl," He said, moving in front of her. His hands shook with adrenaline, waiting for their attacker to appear. A pale, dark haired mutant holding a sword walked through the smoke. Remy cursed deep in his throat. His long jacket billowed behind him, a proud expression on his face. He seemed foreign, not from around there.

"Remy Etienne LeBeau. Anna-Marie Rankin." He paled when when he said the girl's whole name. Rogue stood beside him. He knew her whole name. Even Logan didn't know her last name, her _father'_s name. The look on her face when he and the professor asked for a full name had been enough. Her fists were clenched. This was a time she would give anything to be able to fight, even kissing Remy. "I have been_ looking_ for you." Remy grabbed his deck of cards.

"Marie, _run_." He ordered, trying to time how long it'd be before the rest of the team arrive. _'I gotta last at least a couple minits...'_ He heard a feral scream, and tiny Laura Kinney's body sailed for him first, her claws extended. She was like a lethal ballerina, twirling her body to cut him. Logan followed after, shouting in a rage. Neither of their claws touched him, smacking them away with even more easy than Mr. Sinister. The psychic smiled, sending chills down both Rogue and Remy's spines. They began to back away, slowly, their hands gripping each others.

Scott fired an optic blast, Bobby icing a ramp beside him. The blast sailed through the mystery mutant. "I am_ Vargas_. I have read a lot about you both." His grin twisted into a sneer as he revealed a book. It was worn and brown, a leather back full of handwritten notes. Rogue would recognize it anywhere, by touch. By the smell of the old leather. The books belonged to her former foster mother, the prophet Irene Adler.

She cried out, knowing the catastrophes that would result from him having access to the future. "_How._.. She's dead. Where did you get that!" Rogue shouted, scrambling over Remy to get to him. "They were _mah mother's_, you bastard!" She shrieked, reaching out for him in vain. Remy held her back, fear blooming deep in his gut. Those diaries are what Sinister had hired him for, and some how, this mutant had found one he'd hidden.

"Never you mind," Vargas answered, hiding the book in his long, black trench coat. "We are _destiny,_ Rogue. Your mother wrote it." He grinned. "When your powers are back, come find me. Fight for your destiny." Remy looked at her in confusion._ 'Now I know I shoulda read dos damn books,'_ Remy thought grudgingly.

"She's not going anywhere," Jean snapped, shutting her mind to drive the attacker out. '_It's time to put an end to this.'_ When she tried to attack his mind, however, she began shrieking wildly, Vargas' telepathy sending her slamming into a wall. He didn't even spare a look for the other psychic, his eyes anchored on the couple in front of him. He hadn't torn his eyes from the depowered mutant at all. Kitty screamed in surprise, phasing through her at the last minute.

"Oh my_ god-_"

"JEAN-" Scott shouted, running as quickly as his feet would carry him, his jaw clenched. He was at her side in an instant, helping her sit up.

"YOU," Logan roared, preparing to relaunch himself at the psychic.

"It's so crowded in here." He complained with a smirk, glaring right at Rogue. "I can't wait for you and I to have the time we deserve." With that, the telepath began disappearing. Logan crashed through the air where he'd last been, growling.

"Damn it!" Rogue and Remy ran hurriedly to Jean's side, who Scott was helping up.

_"Easy_, easy." He told her, his face creased with worry. If Rogue had been their physically strongest member, Jean had been the most gifted with her powers, otherwise. Ever since she battled the professor as a horseman, her powers had been limitless. It was rare for a foe to lay a hand on her, it'd been jarring for the whole team to see the psychic repel her with such ease. '_What are we dealing with?'_ He wondered, trembling as he peered in his girlfriend's face.

"Jean, are you _alright_?" Rogue asked worriedly. She nodded, rubbing her temple and hissing in pain.

"I'm fine, just humbled." She said with a pained smirk. Logan looked her over seriously, a growl rumbling in this throat.

"This is_ serious_, Red. You're the most powerful telepath the professor has ever encountered." He frowned, looking at the damage to the institute. "He just _knocked_ you away. I think we're in trouble." He stared at the red head, promising to kill Vargas for touching her at all. Scott sighed, turning his attention to Rogue.

"And he's after you? Don't think it's a coincidence you have no powers." He too, stared at the rubble in frustration. "What was that diary?" Jean blinked suddenly as a new emotional signature entered the room. She had found she couldn't even pick up on Remy's signature, something to do with his mutation. But now she could feel his emotions, tons of anxiety. _'That isn't good..'_ She thought, dropping her gaze. Rogue clenched a fist.

"My_ foster mother._.. Irene. Her mutation was that she saw the future. When she got visions, she wrote down what she saw... Described what she could before the flash left her." She shook her head. "They became these... _Diarie_s predicting the future. Ah always assumed Mystique stole them, but _now_ Ah don't know." Logan sighed, running a clawed hand his hair.

"Better go talk to the professor." He sighed. He grabbed Jean's arm gently. "I'll drop ya by the infirmary to see Hank." Jean blushed furiously, embarrassed at being fussed over.

"Oh, that's not-"

"Good idea." Scott finished, a hand on her back. Logan's frown deepened.

"While I'm at it, I'll see if Hank has any tracking software for that one." He pointed at Rogue, Laura anchored silently at his side. The stripe haired mutant baulked.

"Excuse_ me_?" She began, so angry she was surprised she didn't start flying.

"Rogue, ya got _no_ powers and a crazed telepath coming after you because of your mother's visions." He shook his head, his teeth bared. "If you were normal, I'd lose less sleep. But he _knew_ you and Gumbo were down here. I'm not takin' any chances." Remy stepped up, his face solemn.

"I'll protect her while she got no powers, _homme." 'And after,'_ He thought. Logan stared at him for a long moment before joining Jean at her side. The trio disappeared upstairs. He turned back to Rogue, extending a hand. "C'mon, let's get ya upstairs..."

* * *

He watched her as the sun set, in a dark green sports bra and leggings. Everyone else decided to take it easy since the attack on the institute, but not Rogue. That would be too simple. She was the most jazzed up about it because she could do the least. She was a protector. She used and bent and broke her powers to save the world, her friends. She was going crazy feeling fragile, like something everyone had to protect.

She stared at the purple and orange hues in the sky, sweat dripping down her face. The last time Remy saw her do this, she could lift a train over her head. Now, she had no powers, and she was just as fierce. She had her hair in a low ponytail, curly wisps sticking to her neck with sweat. "Y'should keep ya hair like dat,_ petite._" He told her, marveling at the white flower he'd found for her.

She sighed, taking his easy going attitude hard to take after the attack. He looked up at her, his eyes shining. "White rose." She murmured, hugging herself. He frowned, her mind was elsewhere. He couldn't blame her, but Remy was a firm believer of enjoying the time they had. He looked up at her, in a white t shirt and jeans Hank had insisted on gifting him. "White. White lilies..." Rogue continued, looking at him harshly. "They're for death. Go for _roses,_ too?" Remy was standing instantly, the flower abandoned on the ground.

"_Hey,"_ He began, caressing her face with bare fingers. "What'cha you goin' on about?"

"That mutant was_ stronger than Jean_." She gripped his forearm tight, fear in her eyes. Everyone was nervous about it. Jean had dwarfed all their own powers, if she had been overpowered, that meant nothing good.

"It'll be okay,_ petite._ The las' t'ing ya need is stress. _Especially,_ if ya wanna get better and help." When she looked away, he tipped her face to face him. "Hey," He snapped. "You da one tol' Remy all about_ teamwork and family._ Don' think about doin' not'in stupid." He warned as he chased her stare. "Rogue-"

"I hate this," She admitted, tears in her eyes. "He came after_ me,_ and I can't ev-" He pushed her forehead on his chin.

"It's okay, we all _happy_ t'protect ya._ Chére,_ ya didn't think twice about blowin' out ya powers for _me._ Imagine how ya teammates feel about ya." She smiled, tracing his lips with bare fingertips.

_"Flatterer_," She joked, sneaking a kiss. She sighed, settling down in the grass. She managed to look good, even in gym clothes. He sat beside her, watching her expression darken. "Ah just feel so_ conflicted_ all the time, Remy. Guilty. Confused." She looked at her ringed fingers, then at him. "Ah don't think Ah've loved anythin' more than touchin' _you_, Remy. Holdin'_ your_ hand, feeling how warm you are." She blushed, gripping his hand. "Kissin' you. But I feel_ guilty_ for not having my powers, that Ah can't protect them or anyone else who needs help. You're going on missions, Ah'm..."

He kissed her forehead gently. "Take it from me, _petite._" He looked at her grimly. "You don't have _anyt'ing_ to feel guilty fo'." _'I would know.'_ She placed a soft hand on his neck and massaged gently. He wasn't glad the girl was in turmoil, but he enjoyed the time they'd shared together. That had forced the girl who was like a wrecking ball to slow down.

He brushed silvery hair out of her face. This, right now, he could get used to. He could enjoy forever. But like everything else involving the two, it wouldn't last.

* * *

Magneto stared at the rubble of Genosha. Mr. Sinister had taken control of his protector, Sabretooth (who really, always had to follow somebody) and led him to the liberated island. For what, the magnet mutant couldn't be sure. Upon meeting the mutant he didn't trust him, and he didn't think it wise to be there. Nathaniel's plan had worked exquisitely.

"What is the_ meaning_ of this?" Erik called out into the dark, staring at the feline like mutant. Sinister appeared from the shadows, grinning.

"Ah, Erik. Forgive me for the crude tactic." He snapped, and Sabretooth regained awareness. He snarled, lunging for the telepath.

_"Creed,_" Erik snapped, and he froze. Sinister chuckled.

"Erik, I wanted to talk. I know you are quite fond of and quite close to Professor Xavier." The metal in the dungeon groaned, Erik's eyes glowing an ominous yellow.

"I don't take mentions of Charles _lightly."_ He warned, demonstrating by lifting massive amounts of metal behind him. Sabretooth sneered, waiting for the telepath's reaction.

"I know." His sneer darkened. "That's why I thought you'd be interested to know there's a traitor sleeping under his roof."


	5. Fear

The full moon floated above the southerners as they stood on the mansion roof. Rogue couldn't fly up any time she wanted, but she often sat and stargazed with Remy up there. Next from the woods, it was her favorite place to retreat. It had been a little over four months without her powers. Rogue still trained grunts and New Recruits, showing them how she became Wolverine's best hand to hand protege.

She spent her time riding the motorcycle Logan had gifted her. She spent her time with Remy and with her friends. She took this time as a gift, it's the only way she looked at it. He held her from behind, his face in the crook of her neck. It had been four, cuddling filled months since Rogue had any of her powers. As much as she loved the contact, she_ missed_ them. She hated the feeling of surrender.

Remy's trench coat flapped in the wind, wrapped around Rogue. He couldn't help but stare at the cropped 'X' shirt she was wearing underneath. She always looked like heaven and hell, and they didn't have to have sex to keep him totally tantalized. He held her close, thinking about what it would take to pry her from his arms. His thoughts hadn't even drifted to Sinister in weeks. There was a time where he thought his nightmares would never end.

His mind was occupied by the girl in front of him. Things had been a fairytale, a dream. Reality was a distant thought in both their minds. As the New Orleans native stared into the starless sky, the girl pressed close in his grip, it felt like the right time. The perfect time to tell her how he felt. That he loved her. He moved from behind her like water, gazing into grey eyes that were looking more green that night.

_"Chére,_" He breathed, working up his nerves. Her stared at her tight stomach, wondering how she kept her body as sharp as she did off the X-Men. She bit her lip, unable to fight the urge to kiss him. He was magnetic, she loved touching him in every way. She grabbed his face and leaned up, bringing her lips to his. "I-" He closed his eyes, figuring it would be even better to say after a kiss.

He felt lightning course through his veins, red hot as his memories and powers flew into Rogue. _'Non,'_ He thought, physically feeling drawn to her lips. She was draining him and he couldn't pull away._ 'This kiss, are her powers evolving?'_ Fireworks of pain erupted through Rogue's skin as she realized what was happening.

_'No!'_ Her mind screamed at her. _'No, please no!_' For a moment, she was caught in a trance. She was at the mercy of her mutation, immediately in shock at the reactivation of her powers. She screamed out weakly, her sudden flare alerting the professor that something was wrong. He cried out, dropping a folder of papers and scattering them everywhere in his office.

Logan frowned beside him, stooping immediately to help gather the pages. _"Chuck.._." He began, eyeing the psychic. "Everything alright?" Charles held his head in a daze.

"No," He murmured, sorting through the loud distress signals. He heard a dish clatter down the hall, meaning Jean sensed it as well. "The roof," He told Logan in a rising, panicked tone. Logan knew who was up there all ready. Kurt ported beside him, Jean and Scott had spilled into the hallway. She was rubbing her temples with a dazed look.

"Professor feel something?" Scott called down the hall, shirtless beside Jean. Logan nodded.

"He said the roof," He told them, tearing down the hall to the stairs. Jean and Scott followed, Kurt disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Kurt arrived to Rogue screaming bloody murder, hovering off the roof in a ball. Remy laid motionless on the ground, covered in sweat and his eyes rolled in the back of his head. He screamed, knowing immediately what had happened. _'No, not her povers... Vhy?'_

Scott, Logan, And Jean arrived moments later. Scott and Jean fell to Remy's side on the ground. Jean searched his mind, grunting with effort. "He's alive, but..." She frowned. "He's in a _coma_ right now." _'Rogue's powers seem to have come back stronger.'_ She thought sadly, hoping the girl's mind could cope. "Kurt, can you port Piotr or Hank to get him to the infirmary?" He sent a concerned look at his sibling before nodding.

Rogue clutched her head, not certain of who she was anymore._ 'What's happenin'? Who am I_?' The memories all crashed in her head at once, shredding her sense of self. Blood, pain, _fear._ Her hands dark red with somebody's blood, the charge of all the energy in the universe in her hands. The fear of having no control, hurting someone she loved. The guilt of what she'd done to survive. Soon, the haunting images melted together. There were no memories, Rogue was simply an Oracle of Time forced to watch.

Tears streamed down her face as her hands glowed pink in front of her. _"Rogue!_" Logan shouted, trying to get through the memories to her. "Stripes!" They had all hoped she wouldn't be unlucky enough to have her mutation resurface this way, but the man was starting to think the contact triggered them back. Either way, they were in this situation now. "Focus, Rogue! We're here!"

Jean stood, but found the raw, unfiltered emotion pouring out of Rogue unbearable. She was so scared, _so confused_. Jean's empathy only amplified the chaos, making her own massive powers hard to control. She stood in her night gown, her jaw clenched. _'Kurt, get the professor too. Her mind is in such shock of the activation of her powers, this isn't a me job.'_

_'Copy, Jean.'_ He responded somberly. Still, the telepath did her best to hold the poor girl's psyche in tact. Kurt appeared with the professor, Hank, and Piotr as they all galloped over to help. Hank crashed at Remy's side, taking his vitals instantly. He frowned at his condition, not the symptoms he wanted to see after a touch from Rogue. '_Damn it all.'_ He thought bitterly, feeling the boy's head.

"Rogue, I'm here now to help." Charles announced, staring at her with concern. It didn't seem like she could hear him, she seemed far away. He closed his eyes to enter her mind and found it in the worst state yet. He gripped his chair, bracing himself for the battle against the psyches. Tears were flowing freely down her face as she hovered in front of Logan and Charles Xavier.

"Get him inside," Logan ordered, pointing behind him to Remy. Nobody needed to be up there during the chaos, Rogue could lose control of her abilities any second. Especially if she didn't know who she was. "Things are about to get _ugly_." Piotr obeyed, scooping Remy up and teleporting with Kurt and Hank. Jean frowned, trying to get a hold of Rogue's mind._ 'It's worse than even Logan's.'_ She marveled sadly.

Clouds covered the sky and thunder clapped above them. They knew what that meant. Logan was a conductor for lightning, but he didn't care. He wasn't gonna leave the girl's side, not during this. "Rogue, you can _handle_ this! You lived for years with your powers!" He called out to her, aching from seeing her suffer. "Everything's gonna be okay!"

There was more pain in Rogue's mind than Charles had ever encountered. Horrifying images from before she got to the institute, before she even met Mystique passing through the man's mind. He groaned, feeling his own mental space tainted. Mutants, women, children lay dead and massacred among each other. Mutants being cloned and grown, experimented on like animals.

Rogue can feel her skin being flayed on, filleted from the bone. Logan's own past was coming to haunt her, he had traded his healing factor when he thought she'd die, but he paid a heavy price. Memories he couldn't even bare to face were in the girl. It was his biggest regret, but he would do it again if her life was in danger.

She screams, she feels acidic liquid fill her lungs. She coughs and chokes helplessly, wishing it'd just kill her. She drowns, but she won't die. She squealed and clawed at her throat. "_Red,_" He called out. "Just get me up there to her, try to keep her from running again." He called out, his heart hammering at the thought. He'd been so worried about her on her own, disoriented and vulnerable. In the perfect state for her former mother to manipulate.

He wasn't letting her out of his sight again. Jean obeyed, levitating the mutant with ease. Luckily, Rogue was a bit lost in her memories so she didn't notice. She had her hands on her head, trying to make sense of her tortured mind. Jean carefully maneuvered him close to the panicking girl. When they collided, he grabbed on to her and Jean gently returned them to the roof. She screamed and cried, wrenching in terror in his arms. "NO," She screamed. "DON'T LOCK ME UP!" She begged, crying in his arms.

"Rogue, it's the_ X-Men!"_ Scott called to her. "We'll never lock you anywhere, ever. Don't worry. We're here!"

"I'm sorry!" She screamed. She wasn't exactly sure who she was, or why she was. She was drenched in so much dread, so much guilt that she burst into tears. "I'm _sorry_!" She gasped, trembling in Logan's hands. He rubbed her back slowly, his grip on the girl tight. "I'm _so_ sorry," She sobbed, holding her head in her hands.

"It's okay, darlin'. Don't apologize..." He assured her, his head leaning on her hair. "Can one of you _please_ grab her some gloves?" Scott rose quickly as Jean watched Logan and Rogue, her chest aching. Charles panted beside them. The episode had been quelled, for now. But this wouldn't be the last time Rogue's memories haunted her. Of that, he was certain. The things he saw had affected even him. When Rogue went limp in his arms, Logan hoisted her bridal style, a somber look on his face. "Take her to Hank, see how Gumbo's doin'." He murmured softly.

Charles nodded, his brow furrowed in thought. "I'll come check on him, too." Scott said with a sigh. Jean nodded and floated beside the professor. He seemed pensive and she thought she should be by his side.

"Is everything okay, professor?" The wind blew between them, and the other telepath took a long time to answer.

"I don't know, Jean." What he had seen had disturbed him greatly. He felt terrible that the girl dealt with those images and feelings all the time. He could not tell who's memories they were, but they needed therapy. Help._ Something_. And they were just one of many kinds of traumatic images trapped in Rogue's head. Forever. His heart felt heavy as he reflected on the mutant, wondering if he could've helped more. Prevented some of these traumas from happening to her.

"You've _always_ done your best to protect her, professor." Jean insisted with a hand on her shoulder. "All of us." He covered her hand with her own, a grimace on his face

"I hope so, Jean. Let's hope so."

* * *

Logan sighed as he stared into Remy's pallid face. It was strange to see him so still and not chasing after Rogue or amusing the young students. He knew this news would break her, he needed anything. Anything else to tell her. "Isn't there_ anything_ you can do?" He practically begged his blue friend. Hank sighed loudly, Scott behind him.

"I'm afraid all we can do for Remy, is _wait._ His vitals are stable and Jean sensed that his psyche was present." The X-Men's leader shook his head. How would they tell Rogue.

"She's going to blame herself." He said after a moment, his arms crossed. "Maybe we sh-"

"So she can wonder why she's chock full of his memories? Why he's in here? Yeah right." Logan snarled, clearly in a mood. Life had been cruel to the girl, snatching her powers away and then tossing them back to harm one of the closest people to her. "The sooner she deals with it, the better she'll be." Hank's brow wrinkled.

"We should just let her rest and not overload her with information." He said in a gentle but firm tone. "Rest and peace will be imperative to both their recoveries. I'll keep you updated." Both men nodded grimly, filing out of Remy's infirmary room.

Hank sighed, staring sadly at the southerner. "Wake up, Remy."

Scott filed out of the infirmary as Logan drifted near Rogue's bedside. She was mostly just resting, but Hank thought it pertinent to monitor after a major change in her powers. He pulled up a chair and sat next to her, stone faced. It was hard for him to bare witness, but he had promised to always be by her side when she needed him. He wasn't going to stop now.

She would wake up when she was ready, and that's when the hard part started.

* * *

"Ya sayin' I _killed_ him." Rogue said flatly, a little bit of his New Orleans twang to her voice. She was hugging herself in the infirmary bed, shrouded in Logan's jacket. She'd woken up shivering.

"No," Logan barked, almost angrily.

"Not at all." Hank corrected patiently.

"Your powers surged a bit because of their inactivity." Charles filled in quickly. "Remy will be fine, it's a just a matter of when that's a cause for speculation." He urged her. "Please, guilt will_ not_ help either of you." Rogue sighed, looking at her now gloved hands.

"It's hard not to feel like it's my fault, professor." Logan placed a hand on her shoulder and she jumped.

"Hey," He said softly. "If Gumbo's let us know_ anythin_g, Rogue, it's that this is a risk he's been willing to take. And when he wakes up, I bet he won't be mad at you." She scrubbed her hands tiredly over her face.

"Hank, can Ah-"

"Yes," Hank laughed, watching as Rogue hovered to his bedside.

Charles, Hank, and Logan hung back in the separate room, giving them some time alone. But when Rogue screamed, they rocketed into the other part of the medlab. Logan was by her side first, his mouth hanging open in shock. No sooner had he uttered a positive thing about him did he go and disappear. Logan clenched a fist, his claws shooting out. He was fine, and his first action and been to flee out the window.

Jean sat helplessly in a chair in the empty room.

_'He hates me,_' Rogue thought, tearing out of the infirmary and upstairs.

"Should probably let her sort it out a little bit." Jean suggested with a sigh.

* * *

Jean had been trying to keep Remy comfortable and mentally massage him in hopes that he'd wake up soon. It was light work of a telepath of her caliber, and she figured the sooner he woke up, the soon he and Rogue could hash things out. She didn't think there'd be bad blood, but she knew her teammate felt guilty. This was her worst nightmare. She was so lost in thought she didn't see his eyes open.

_"Tres belle_," He whispered, wondering where Rogue was._ 'Must be hurt,_' He thought, remembering her black out. He began to sit up but Jean ushered him down.

"Easy, Remy. Relax. We weren't expecting you awake." She smiled as he leaned back, rubbing his head with a groan.

"Who hit Remy wit da _truck_?" He asked. Jean sighed.

"You and Rogue kissed when her powers reactivated." His skin went ten shades lighter. "You went down and were in a coma briefly. Do you feel alright?" She asked, reaching out to touch his shoulder in concern._ 'So she has my memories..._' His blood ran ice cold in his veins. _'No..._' Those were things even he did not want to know. He ran shaking hands through overgrown hair, his eyes wide. "Remy?"

"Could ya please get Remy a glass of water, _petite?_" He tried to send her a convincing smile. Jean eyed him weirdly before nodding.

"Sure, maybe I should get the professor, too." He nodded in excitement as she hovered to the kitchen to fetch him a beverage. In the few moments that took, she returned to find his infirmary bed empty. She frowned, trying to scan for him before she remembered that his mutation made him a telepath dead spot. She set the glass down in panic._ 'He's not here,'_ She thought, searching in vain. _'Damn it, Gambit.'_

Rogue appeared moments after, shrieking to find his bed empty. Logan joined, and then Hank.

"I'm sorry," Jean lamented with her head bowed. "I went to get him water and he..." They watched Rogue flee from the medbay. Logan retracted his claws with a growl.

"Ain't your fault, Red. None of it is." He thought of Remy and felt another rage coming on. "Let's just hope she's fine." Jean nodded lamely as the room began to disperse.

* * *

Remy stared at the hill and looked out into the skyline. His eyes were anchored where he knew the Xavier Institute was, where he was leaving her behind. Sights of the Morlocks, abused, battered and bloody cloud his mind suddenly. Because of him, that was floating around in Rogue's mind, too. _'How could I...'_ He could never face her if there was even a chance she knew his truth. His truth that he'd stood by and let the Morlocks get massacred.

Dead little mutant children and babies lining the sewers. Their blood smeared on the walls. Sabretooth laughing, licking the blood like it's a delicacy... Remy shook his head violently. His trench coat billowed behind him as the wind whipped. This is why he had to go. Leave. Forever. He didn't know where he'd go or what he'd do, but he couldn't stay.

_'I'm sorry...'_ Gripping his staff tight, he turned his back on the institute. He turned his back on the institute. Fear, why did it prevail over them so much? Rogue let go of her fear and he'd gotten hurt. His fear had driven him away before he could find out what the consequences were. Fear. He batted at his eyes, putting the girl's face from his mind. This is what he had to do.

"Goodbye, Rogue."

* * *

_Babies. Dead babies, everywhere. The subway tunnels lined with them. Their eyes open, unseeing. Cruel mutants, laughing. Sabretooth's wild eyes flash in their mind. Nothing brings him more joy than death and decay. She feels so much guilt, like she knew this would happen. But she's disgusted all the same, retching right beside the sizzled corpse of an old lady. _

_It was barbaric. Carnage. _

_Violence for violence sake. It didn't make sense._

_She would do what she had to survive, to make it, but this... This was too far._

Rogue shot up with a scream, bone claws piercing the night. It takes a few breaths for her to come back to herself. Kitty is standing silently in the shadows. They were no longer roommates, but she was familiar with her roommates nightmares. She had heard the girl crying out passing in the hall, and she took the liberty to phase in. Rogue's eyes adjusted to the darkness slowly and she was embarrassed to see her there.

"What're ya doin'," She asked breathlessly. She'd been a bit snippier since Remy left, but it was to be expected.

"Sorry, I heard you." Kitty clutched the water bottle in her hands and it crinkled. She had gone downstairs to retrieve it for herself, but she offered it to her former roommate. She looked exhausted, haunted by memories that weren't her own and no closure for her and Remy. "Thirsty?" Rogue nodded her expression watery. She knew of Kitty's legendary night thirst.

She took her up on the generosity and drank half the bottle in one gulp. "Thank you." She gasped. Kitty nodded, tickled to see her friend accept help, no matter how small. She sat on her old bed and eyed her.

"Wanna talk about it?" Rogue's expression became troubled, even in the dark. Kitty nodded sympathetically. Respecting Rogue's boundaries and knowing when not to had strengthened their friendship, a lot.

"Okay, well I'm only down the hall. And we can have sleepovers whenever." She walked towards the door to phase through.

"Kitty?" Rogue's voice was small. "_Thanks._" She smiled and waved in the dark, disappearing through the door. With a groan, Rogue laid back on her bed. Sleep was even harder to come by after Remy's departure. Even if she wouldn't talk about him, her mind drifted to him constantly. She turned over in the dark, her eyes focused on her wall._ 'What are you doing right now?'_ It has been going on three months since she'd heard from him. The pain was palpable. She felt homesick for New Orleans. Eventually, she fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

Logan and Scott stared up at Kitty and Rogue's balcony. She was out with Kitty and Kurt currently. They could see the red, playing card wedged in her window. Time was marching on, in a line or a circle. Rogue was finally doing better. Moving on. She didn't need the southerners bread-crumbing, and Scott was willing to cross the line into deceit to protect her peace.

"It's been almost_ six months_, Logan." He argued, his arms crossed. "She doesn't need to be reminded of him." He sighed.

"I agree with ya slim, but the girl has been betrayed and deceived enough. I can't reconcile with..." His voice trailed off as Jean hovered beside them, in a purple shirt and skirt. She plucked the card as the men watched and incinerated it.

_"J-Jean_..." Logan stammered.

"I just found all the cards he'd given her in the trash." She explained, her hands on her hips. She sighed, wondering when it all went wrong. "Wouldn't have done it if it weren't a good idea."

Scott walked away, satisfied.

* * *

The Blackbird had just touched it's wheels down when the Professor reached out mentally for Rogue._ 'Can Hank and I see you in my office?'_ He asked.

'_Sure, professor.'_ She held the reluctance out of her her mental voice. She had just started a wonderful conversation with Warren about flying. It turned out they had a lot more in common than she thought. He was a yankee, but he found her stories about the south fascinating. He was even saying he wanted to take a trip down... She sighed, tearing herself away.

'_I hope I'm not gettin' boy crazy, like Kitty.'_ She thought, fiddling with her growing ponytail. It went down her back, now. Silvery bangs in her eyes. She could swear Warren's eyes always dipped a little lower than her face, right at her cleavage that uniform didn't cover.

'_Uh, Rogue?_' Professor Xavier's mental voice sounds amused._ 'Perhaps you have forgotten...'_ Rogue hope she hadn't been projecting, making her way to the telepaths office. He was grinning alongside Hank when she got there. She had a feeling she was about to be asked for a 'favor'. Their grins only grew as her confusion did.

"Ah, thank you for coming." The professor smiled.

"I have worked on something I thought you would like to see..." Hank had been in the process of engineer mutation suppression fear and his attempts seemed to be successful. "Your taste with touch lit a fire under my bottom, one would say." He watched her eyes light up.

"Hank, _you-_" His expression darkened suddenly.

"I'm still working very hard to make this not intrusive technology. I've tested it _myself,_ and..." He frowned. "It's not comfortable, Anna." Logan glowered in the corner of the room. He hated the idea that she should have to hurt or be in discomfort to be intimate. Logan had his own theories about her mutation and control that he didn't like. But she was a young woman, and she deserved the option.

She reached out and touched the device with shaking hands. "Hank..." She breathed. "I can't_ believe_ you..." She took it with a serious expression and fastened it around her neck. She grimaced as soon as it was activated and all the men in the room hung their heads. After a moment, she looked up with a determined expression. "This is nothing." She said, her eyes set. Logan smirked.

* * *

He met her in a bar in New Mexico.

Hair as violet as her eyes, body built like a stallion. Betsy Braddock was the only woman to turn Remy's head since Rogue. Seven long months he ached for her. Seven months he thought only about her, about returning home and begging for forgiveness. But then he remembers all the bright lives extinguished. All the horror locked in her head. There is no forgiveness. Only a kinky telepath as rotten as he was.

He'd only been trying to play a game a pool when she came over him, clad in an indigo jumpsuit. "I know you want me," She said in a strong, British accent. Remy felt his mind working as she spoke, admiring her beautiful bone structure. She was exquisite, painfully beautiful. And Remy didn't often find himself attracted to normal people. "I'm a _telepath_." She purred.

Now his attractions was raging for her, finishing his drink and allowing the woman to lead him off into the abyss.

He laid beside her, smoking a cigarette. It was the first he hadn't thought about Rogue.

He liked it.

* * *

"You shouldn't wear that thing, not for me." Warren blushed furiously, gazing at Rogue. Her hair was in a bun on top of her head, silvery wisps tickling her face. She was draped in his oversized polo, gazing in a magazine beside him.

"How _else_ do ya propose we do what we did?" She asked, grinning at the broad haired mutant. She had thought he was attractive in New York, but she really underestimated a few years on him. And it was cathartic to go on an hours long flight and then make out after. It was very worth putting the collar on. Rogue still wasn't sure how she felt about sex, and Warren felt no need to pressure her about it. _'This girl blows my mind without it_,' He thinks, reflecting on the torrid affair.

It didn't make sense, and it was just happening. But he'd learned to just go with the flow. "Kitty tried on the collar and went into the infirmary, Rogue." He shook his head. "That thing is _brutal._" She looked down on it, her fingers tracing the cool metal.

"Kitty shouldn't play with things that aren't hers," She snapped with an eye roll. She wasn't convinced the girl was just being dramatic. The collar wasn't comfortable, but Rogue powered through it. It probably had to do with her invulnerability. Her desperation to touch. It fought against the harsh effects against her mutation. He laughed at her.

"You're tough, Rogue." He leaned his head on his hand. "I like that about you." When her blush deepened, she dragged her stare to the magazine.

"Thanks,_ sugah_."

* * *

Remy always took forever to do everything. Betsy stood in the blaring sun with a cigarette, while Remy flirted with some receptionist at the motel they stayed in. She was just getting to know him, but some things never changed. That's when she felt it. She looked up to the cloudy sky and saw a sphere of metal descending. A flare of pink erupted, sending people fleeing. A pink butterfly emerged from her forehead, and a drill of energy around her hand.

She took the massive, mutant signature she felt approaching as an enemy, she didn't have time to assume otherwise. The metal disassembled to reveal Erik Lensherr. The telepath was not familiar with him, but Remy would be. He startled when he appeared behind her, his trench coat billowing in the wind. "Betrayer," Erik moaned, sending swaths of metal at him.

_"HHYYAAA_-" Betsy shrieked, flinging herself and her psychic energy wildly. The magnetist deftly blocked her attack with scrap metal, deflecting the waves elsewhere.

"You don't want to play this game," He warned, smacking her out of the way with metal. Remy cursed, not bothering to draw his staff.

"Betsy!" He cried. "Da hell ya doin' this for? What'cha wan' from me!" He spat. It had been years since he worked for him, he hadn't been particularly loyal or fond of the mutant. _'Why he come now?'_

Erik glowered, slowly encasing Remy in metal. "I know what you've done, _Remy."_ Erik announced, his eyes seething. "And soon, so will the X-Men." His heart stopped in his chest. Sinister had found Magneto and told him. _'No...'_ He thought, he knew what came next. He would have Charles or Jean pick through Rogue's mangled memories, or she would touch him again._ 'No. She can't understand those memories, she._..'

Fear overwhelmed him as he found himself trapped and traveling to Magneto's desire. Without even a glance at Betsy, Magneto covered himself in one and was gone. The telepath stared in the sky after them._ 'Shit,'_ She thought to herself.


	6. Alone

_'Charles...'_ The bald telepath sat upright suddenly. He sat beside Ororo, who was serenading him via piano in the main room. High level psychics were often wracked with migraines. Holy terror of headaches that rendered them bed ridden if bad enough. The weather goddess found music seemed to sooth his and Jean's, so she sharpened up her piano skills often. He looked around, a frown on his face.

Logan had been sitting on the couch, listening while acting like he wasn't (because music also soothed the mutant, he just refused to admit it). His brow furrowed when he noticed the professor's expression._ 'Charles, I'm certain you hear me._' It was his friend Erik's voice.

"Chuck?" Logan asked, leaning forward. He ignored both Logan and Ororo's stares, responding quickly. '_What is it, Erik?'_

_'I'm afraid I've got to do something. No harm will come to her...'_

_'No.'_ Charles looked up suddenly, a rage in his eyes._ 'Erik-'_

_'Accusations have been made. The girl has the gift of truth, we need her, Charles. Mutants everywhere.'_ The telepath shook his head in disbelief.

_'Magnus, you won't! You can't!'_

_'If you are so opposed, then come to Genosha and help me sort the memories._' With that, he found himself locked out of his friend's head. "Curses," He cried angrily.

"Charles," Ororo exclaimed in shock. She'd never heard the man come close to cursing.

"Both of you," He began urgently. "Outside. Magnus just contacted me via telepathy." Logan was flying out the door despite being the most vulnerable to the mutant's abilities. Laura flew down the stairs like a torpedo after him, unsure what was going on but intending to back him up. He held her back with a stiff hand and a firm look.

_"No_," He snarled, flashing a fang for emphasis. She growled back herself, watching reluctantly as he ran onto the lawn. Ororo floated after him, meeting Jean around the side of the building.

"Anyone know why the professor sent us out here?" Jean asked, hovering in the air. She had been lounging around in a tight fitting, striped X-Shirt and jeans before the professor contacted her. Ororo looked around suspiciously.

"Not yet," She began. Logan unsheathed his claws with a growl.

"He said Magneto was communicating with him." The girl frowned at his claws, imagining in her worst nightmares what Magneto could do to Logan. She looked around, straining to sense something off. All they saw was Kitty trying to fly a kite, and Rogue flying above it. Other than that, everything seemed normal. When Logan began to growl to himself, Jean figured he must be close enough to smell.

Kitty didn't notice the gathering crowd on the lawn, she was determined to use the kite set Piotr had gifted her. Rogue shook her head from the air, amused at her friend's antics on the ground. She stopped in mid air when she sensed another mutant presence. One strangely familiar. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand, somehow, she knew there was a lot of metal in the area.

She flew to the ground, covered in a shifting, red and black plaid dress and a cropped jacket. Kitty frowned when she dropped from the air. "What's, like-"

"Someone's here." She said, her eyes scanning the air darkly. Kitty wasn't sure if this was some of Rogue's leftover paranoia from being kidnapped, or the truth. She couldn't fault her for being nervous, she'd been kidnapped and manipulated more times than she could count.

_"Sorry kid, professor said we needed to get goin' soon." Logan shifted uncomfortably beside the girl as she studied him. He didn't seem like himself. He was very vague about the mission details, and he didn't let anyone else know before they left. Due to kidnappings, shape shifters, and other uncontrollable circumstances he liked to keep his friends and allies in the know. _

_She just assumed from his grim face that they had a tough fight ahead of them. He pulled something out of a bag while Rogue watched. "Here," It was some sort of bizarre collar. Similar to the one Hank would design in the future, but very different. It was heavy, oppressive. Rogue shook her head. _

_"What is it?" Logan smiled uneasily. _

_"It'll amplify your powers." He explained. "This mutant is very volatile, and crazy strong. Strength of a hundred men, strong. Only way to stop her will be for you to siphon off her power, a lot of it." Rogue frowned. This sounded like the last thing Logan would ask her to do. _

_"Shouldn't the whole team be here?" She asked, feeling anxious. He was always telling her they were stronger together. Better together. He shook his head. _

_"We wanna risk as little injuries and damage as possible, Rogue." She nodded dumbly. "I know it's tough, but I thought you could handle it. Was I wrong?" Even she could notice that Logan was usually much more careful with the girl. He never tried to influence her to do anything until today. 'Must be a serious issue. The professor must be on him,' She thought, rubbing the collar. _

_"No, Ah can do it." She promised, gripping the device tight. _

_"Good." He said, facing the window. "I'll put it on for ya." Rogue relinquished her neck to the man because unlike a lot of people, she trusted him fully. She didn't see his sneer as he turned it on. _

_Rogue felt a strange sensation. 'Why'd he turn it on now?' That was her last independent thought. Suddenly, Rogue was at the mercy of Logan. 'Why? Why would he do this to me?' She thought, her heart shredded. She struggled to move, to fight, to scream but her body was locked. _

_"Perfect." He said in a voice that was not his own. 'No...' _

_Her foster mother had finally perfected the perfect plan, and she used Logan to do it. _

Kitty hunched behind her friend as Ororo, Logan, and Jean approached them. "What's going on?" She screamed as Jean deflected a random, rod of metal. Logan roared as he felt his limbs go taut._ 'Damn it...'_ He thought desperately. Rogue looked around in confusion, smacking a metal plate away from Kitty with the back of her hand. But as time wore on, more metal was appearing.

Jean grunted in frustration, Scott shooting metal refuse beside her. "Where is all this _coming_ from?" He shouted, scanning the eyes for the mutant. _'What does he want?'_ Both he and Jean turned when Kitty screamed. The metal was piling around Rogue, fast. No matter how many pieces she tried phase her through, more piled on.

"Help!" She screamed shrilly, struggling not to lose grasp of her friend. Logan was snarling, his whole body turning red from how hard he was trying to break free of Magneto's hold. Kitty's screams were almost driving him into a berserker rage. Ororo's eyes glowed white instantly, the sky covering with clouds as winds blew. But they were no match for his magnetism. Jean found herself breaking a sweat for the second time in awhile, straining against Erik's masterful control of his powers.

Rogue punched against the material with a fury, but it wasn't yielding to her strength. _'How-'_

"It's _adamantium_, dear." Erik explained, hovering safely in the sky. He turned to the X-Men, Logan screaming a string of curses.

"You just made good, Magneto. Don't do this." Jean urged, a fire in her eye. Erik shook his head apologetically.

"No harm will come to her, she will be helping mutantkind." Rogue screamed from inside the metal sphere.

"Say's fuckin' _who!_ Ah won't-" Her voice was cut off as the sphere was completed, rocketed off into the sky.

"_Rogue!"_ Scott screamed, firing an optic blast at him. He deflected it with metal, frowning.

"Vhere are you taking her!" Kurt screamed, watching helplessly as the sphere disappeared.

"I _said_ she won't be harmed. If you want her back, come to Genosha." He rose higher into the air. "Come, witness my trial." With that, he enclosed himself in metal and hurled himself away, leaving the X-Men stunned. When his hold wore off, Logan dropped to the ground with a shout. He thrashed in a rage.

"Damn him! That bastard!" He seethed, watching as the professor came on the lawn.

"I don't know what he's up to, but I do not appreciate this." He looked into Logan's eye. "X-Men, let's go. We are going to Genosha." Charles didn't accompany the team often, Magneto was really in for it. "We have a lot of history together, but he is not to bring my kids into it." There was a fierce protectiveness coming out, he thought he and his old friend had been past taking allies against their will. He was as shocked as he was angry.

"X-Men," Logan snarled. "Let's go."

* * *

"I will be rebuilding this island. As a _true_ sanctuary for mutants." Magneto said, his fourth attempt at making small talk with Rogue. She was confused, bewildered, and she had no tolerance for being forced to do things. She stood, her powers cut off by an inhibitor bracelet. She sat in the corner, her arms crossed, refusing to speak.

It was strange, when she was a high school student, he couldn't stand the girl. She had stolen his powers and come after him. She was a young upstart and she needed to learn to respect her elders. But in their time apart, this time after apocalypse, she'd blossomed into a_ woman._ Her silver and brassy hair was growing out, favoring her with a curly wave. One, in a different life, he would think was quite attractive.

Her face was certainly more pleasant without the dark makeup. But she was still the same prickly girl. "You need not imprison yourself. I will not harm you." She turned her head away. "Charles would have my head for it." These old generation mutants, they were all the same. She wouldn't entertain another word.

"But ya know _Ah_ can harm _you._ Hence the bracelet." She was secretly jealous of the slim design, how it didn't cause her pain like the collar.

"You care about the professor far too much." Her eyes softened and she frowned. "Rogue, I apologize. But I've learned some very distressing information, and..." She shook her head in disgust.

"So ya wanna screw _my_ head up even further by makin' me touch them?" She stared at him hard. "No." He sighed, thinking about telling her who the other prisoner was. He was no fool. Sabretooth spied and got as close to the X-Kids as Logan's nose would allow. Even in this truce after Apocalypse, that didn't mean that Erik wouldn't act against the world.

"You may not have to touch anybody." He stood, and waited for the girl to follow. After a long moment, she stood reluctantly and smoothed out her dress. She let out a yell when she saw Remy, leaning against the wall. His face and neck were covered in scruff, and he was shirtless. He didn't look harmed, but Rogue couldn't be sure. On instinct, she flung herself at the white haired man.

He held her back with metal rods, sighing. She was still scrappy, even without her powers. "Have you touched him before? Then his memories should be in your head." He looked down on the cajun. "The_ truth."_

He looked up when he realized he wasn't alone, and cried out when he saw Rogue, scrambling to reach Magneto. His eyes shot to her silvery hair, strands he'd dreamt about. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, certain he'd hallucinated her. _"Chére._.." He croaked, his voice hoarse. She looked at him, the worry and confusion evident in her eyes.

"Throw me in there." She seethed. He dropped the metal and looked at her. "Ah'm _not_ helpin' you." She said, standing tall in front of him. "So ya might as well throw me in." He smiled, gesturing as he opened the cage.

"I would want you to be where you were most comfortable. I'll go away for my friend." She watched him with hateful eyes until he disappeared from sight. She turned back to the southern mutant, touching his face gently.

"_Remy_..." She shoved him against the wall, her face hard. "Expect me to believe you been locked up here the _whole time_ I ain't see ya?" She asked, her voice venomous. He stared at her longingly, wishing he still had the right to kiss her while her powers were gone. He'd been thinking about kissing her, touching her. It was all he could think about. He couldn't believe Magneto had brought her there.

_"Non_, of course not..." He answered, hanging his head apologetically. _"Forgive_ Remy..." She frowned, all of the feelings she felt when he disappeared rushing her at once. "Forgive him for leavin'." He expected her to hit him, but she slid to the ground instead. Sobbing. He fell to her side, cursing under his breath. He placed a shaky hand on the side of her head. "Why ya cryin, _petite'_?" He asked, taking a tear on his fingertip.

"You left because you were _mad_ at_ me_!" She cried, tears on her cheeks. "Because Ah almost _killed_ you." She hung her head, so ashamed of herself. Remy shook his head furiously, his unruly hair getting in his eyes.

_"Non, chére_. Remy never been mad at ya._ Eva_." She told her, tipping her face to look at him when she wouldn't. "What happened was an accident,_ chére._ Nothin' else. Even when Remy was knocked out, he _knew_ dat." He wiped another tear from her eyes. She fell against him, clinging desperately to his sweaty skin.

"Then why did you _leave,_" She whispered, her eyes squeezed tight. The look on his face became dark, even as he held her. The answer was in her head, too grim and brutal for either of them to face.

_"Because,_" He bit out, his face screwed in anguish. She couldn't bare to look into his eyes, the look in them was haunted. "Because I _knew_ you'd have Remy's memories." Her eyes went wide in shock. The experiments, the pain in her hands, the slaughtered mutants in the sewers. She shook her head, sweat trailing down her brow._ 'No... No it can't be him...'_

"_No,_" She breathed. They couldn't be. He couldn't have witnessed the things that woke her screaming so loud, so terribly, Logan's broken in her door. Slept in the hallway to get to her faster, because the sound was that awful. Busted in her window because he couldn't be certain she wasn't being kidnapped, again. Kitty phased through the floor of her room. How could he have_ lived_ these things? Things akin to genetic engineering, the holocaust... She clutched his arms tight, peering into the cajun's face desperately. "Remy, _why-"_

"I'm _sorry_, girl." He sighed, slipping out of her grip. "I _never_ wanted that happ-" She threw herself around him again, crying loudly.

"Why don't ya let someone_ help you!_" She cried. "The professor, me..._ Anyone!_" He looked down at the frantic girl and smiled sadly. "I'm beggin'-"

"Can't _nobody_ help me," He insisted firmly. He looked at her, his face like stone. She shook her head.

"But Ah know... _Ah feel.._." Her face twisted into despair. "Talk to me," She begged. "Please. These memories, they're so _awful._.." She shivered. "So dark. I can't even make sense of them. This_ hurt_ you carry with you everyday." She covered her face and groaned "But _Ah feel_ them. This dread, this pain-" She doubled over and hugged herself. "I can't stand it." He cursed to himself.

"Don't worry about savin' nobody." He wrapped an arm around her with a sigh. "Das ya problem. Dis all Remy fault. Started carin' 'bout the wrong things _too late._" He stole a grim glance at her. "Remy already is what he is. No sense tryna change now." Rogue looked up at him.

"Weren't you always the one tellin' me to let someone in? Ah'm askin' ya Remy. _Beggin'_ you-" She reached to move his hair out of his eyes but he caught her wrist, staring down angrily into into her face.

"I said no." He growled at her harshly. "_Ah_ built this house of cards, Rogue. Not you. It's gonna come crashin' around me._ Dis_ is what it will be." He tugged her closer to him, grappling with the urge to kiss her full lips. For an easy going guy, he was conflicted now. When he looked into her eyes he wanted to be optimistic, to believe he could be forgiven. But he knew better.

She frowned at him with determined eyes. "Ah've never had_ anyone_ touch my heart like you. _Never._" His heart freezes when she speaks, her voice as passionate as it is loud. He thought back to when he almost told her loved her, a simpler and better time. He reached out and cupped her face. "Why can't Ah jus' _have_ that? Be happy!" She tore away from him. "Logan tried to warn me, Scott tried to warn me. _You_ tried to warn me!" She looked him dead in his crimson eyes.

"Rogue-"

"I have _seen_ your darkest moments, your worst memories. And I say let me help you. Let me bear this burden, Remy. Like you bore mine." He dropped his eyes as she caressed his face softly. "Let me have this."

"Remy bring darkness every where he go." He countered, but she shook her head. "Ah _don_' make you happy."

"Yes, you do. Here, in a dungeon..." She turned her head and kissed him. "Ah never knew Ah'd be as sure as Ah am now. Ah want this, Ah want it _all._" She peeled off her cropped jacket. "Do you know what Ah'm asking?" He nodded silently, his mind racing a mile a minute.

_"Rogue-_" She placed her fingertips on on his lips.

"No more questions." She told him, leaning close.

"No more questions." He repeated, watching as her hands trailed down his chest.

* * *

Logan was the first to appear amongst the Genoshan rubble. He didn't care if his frame was covered in metal, Bucket Head had crossed a line. A big line. He hadn't seen his friend this riled up in years. Xavier was behind him, shielded by Jean, Scott, Kitty, and Kurt around them as they cautiously entered.

"There's no telling who else may be here..." Jean warned, scanning the area quickly.

"On your guard." Scott ordered, looking to Piotr. He steeled his face when the magnet mutant descended from the air. Logan snarled, wasting no time to reveal his claws.

"I haven't come to fight." He informed, holding out purple gloved hands. Logan snarled.

"Shouldn't have _stolen_ Rogue, then." He warned, his eyes black.

"You _know_ better, Magnus." Charles reprimanded, his tone inspiring more fear in the older man than Logan. "How could you take one of my students, after _everything_..." He hung his head when Jean placed a hand on his shoulder. "I trusted you _not_ to do something like this. And I was wrong." Erik smiled, he could always count on Charles to be the same old Charles.

"Still looking at the little injustices, not the whole truth. We need people like that. The girl is not harmed, she is in a cell with_ Gambit,_ like she asked." He gestured behind him dismissively. Logan attempted to lunge at him, but Jean held him back.

"You locked her_ up_?!" Kurt asked incredulously.

"You got a lot of nerve, Magneto." Scott said, his hand on his visor. The white haired mutant shook his head.

"She _asked_ to be in there. She did not want to hang out with the likes of me." He huffed, crossing his arms. "We've got more important things to discussing than my babysitting Remy and Rogue. Serious accusations have been made." His face hardened, gaining his friend's attention. "I was told a traitor was amongst you. I've been investigating ever since." Charles sat up, horrified and intrigued.

"A traitor? Erik, what do-"

"Why should we believe_ you?_" Scott demanded. He knew the professor and Magneto had made up, but his past transgressions were far from water under the bridge to Scott. He knew better than to believe someone like him would change.

"Because," A sinister look filled his eyes. "Remy LeBeau has committed genocide. Genocide against_ mutantkind._" The pair can hear them talking, discussing Remy's fate. Rogue was laid in his lap, staring off as Remy traced circles in her hair, savoring every second he could touch her even if he was imprisoned. She clutched his lap tight when Magneto said his name. _'No, he wouldn't...'_

"That's_ preposterous_," Charles spoke first, his voice cutting. "Remy may have lost his way before, but to say that he is capable of what you're saying... I'm surprised, even at you." Logan wrinkled his nose. Something smelled.

"Who even gave you some intel like this?" He demanded, his eyes locked on Erik. "I'm afraid to ask."

"Nathaniel Essex," He answered thickly. Scott tossed his hands up in disbelief.

_"Really_," He began, Jean hushing him at her side. "Mr. Sinister?"

"Don't you think I took the intel with a grain of salt?" He questioned, giving all of them an icy glare. "I'm _investigating._ That is why the girl is here." His sneer deepened. "Although, Charles, I am beginning to understand your reasonings for raising a little mutant harem around yo-" He noted Kitty and Jean, anchored by his side. Logan lunged like a bullet, but this time, Erik halted his assault.

"Stop antagonizing him," Jean warned, her voice low. Charles backed her up with a glare.

"Magnus." He huffed, gesturing behind him. Metal groaned, opening the cage detaining Rogue and Remy. She whimpered but he sat up around her, shielding her from whatever was to come.

"De X-Men here for ya," He told her, thinking about their bodies intertwined. Skin on skin, as close as their two bodies would allow. Everything they both wanted. Nothing would come in between them, not now. Even this, they would get through. They both silently resolved to make it through it all together. After everything they shared. Learned. Shed. "Don worry-"

"But what about_ you_," She insisted, glaring at Magneto. "If I didn't have this stupid cuff I'd-" He cut her off with a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay,_ petite_. Don' worry about me. Remy job to worry about_ you._" He tried to smile at her.

"Remy!" They heard Kitty's voice call out.

_"Stripes_," Rogue looked at him and he pushed her ahead.

"B-But-"

He shook his head.

_"C'mon_." He grabbed her wrist and led her out to the gathering of mutants. Shattered walls and crumbled stone filled the former lab around them. The rubble looked hundreds of years old now, like Genosha was some ancient civilization. Logan was spitting and yowling like a cat, but he went silent when the other mutants entered the room. Another moment he wasn't thankful for his nose, he knew what they'd done in the time it'd taken to get to there.

When it seemed Rogue was otherwise fine, his stare anchored on Remy. Kurt, Kitty, Scott, and Jean were relieved to see Rogue looking unharmed. She looked worried about something, though, her eyes locked on the New Orleans native. Jean frowned when she realized Remy was projecting, again. It was unusual. More fear and pain. Regret. Torture. Nothing good. She dropped her stare, almost embarrassed she couldn't tune them out.

"And what would you propose!" Charles exclaimed. The students couldn't remember the last time they heard his voice rise like this. "Have her touch him, trash his privacy over the rumors of a mad scientist!" He buried his head in his hands, a migraine starting. Now he remembered why the two spent so little time together. It always ended in migraines. "I _won't_ allow it, Erik."

He tossed a look at the striped haired mutant. She was standing close to Remy, trying to understand what was supposed to happen. She wouldn't betray him, she wouldn't touch him again. "Charles-"

"A simple solution for you is hours and hours of tireless work by her. Work to overcome her mutation, her memories... I won't let you add needlessly to that." They stared into each others eyes for a moment, and knew neither were about to budge.

"She can be spared trauma." He turned to Remy and Rogue. "His mind cannot be read by telepaths. That was a recruiting point of mine." He smirked, and Remy clenched his teeth. "Sort through the girl's memories. I'm sure the answers are in there."

She shook her head furiously, but Remy hushed her. "I _won't_." Charles insisted, on principal alone. It had taken time for Rogue to allow and to trust him in her mind, he wouldn't sacrifice that. "Rogue-" He gestured for her to come over, but metal grates blocked Remy.

"If we don't find a solution, Remy isn't going _anywhere_." Rogue glared hotly at Magneto.

"Ah'm_ not leavin'_ him here." Logan snarled, but it largely went unnoticed. Scott stared hard at both Remy and Magneto. Jean stepped forward.

"Look, I'd _really_ love to leave here without a full on battle." She began, placing a hand on Scott's arm. "We don't want to leave Remy here either, _right Scott?"_ He snorted and she elbowed him in the ribs.

"Right." She turned back to Erik.

"What do we have to do?" Jean asked tensely. Erik pointed at Rogue, who hissed.

"It's a yes or no question, the answer lies in her memories. The truth that can not be twisted. Changed." His eyes narrowed. Remy had always been a shifty man. He never seemed to care much about anything. Mutant rights, the escalation of humans against them. How his actions affected them all. Nothing. He only seemed to care about Mardis Gras, girls, booze... It could be much worse than Sinister told.

Jean looked at Rogue apologetically. She was standing with her eyes shut, draped with Remy's button up on. She didn't want to pry into the worst moments of his life._ 'I feel his feelings, too.'_ She thought bitterly_. 'Ah'm him for that moment. They don't know... The pain he's already put him through. Whatever it is, he paid enough._' If only that were right.

"Rogue," Jean sighed. "Talk to me." She approached her uncomfortably. She knew the girl's independence was important to her. Especially on the topic of Remy. And right now, she believed in him. But the more he projected, the more Jean thought better to get to the bottom of things. _'There's the chance that it's true...'_ She thought guiltily. She would shatter both their hearts if they knew she thought that, but she had to be pragmatic. Lives were at stake._ 'Scott is rubbing off on me.'_

Kitty and Kurt looked helplessly amongst the older mutants around them. "This is_ insane._ He took her, and _he_ wants to hold somebody accountable?" Kitty pointed out, garnering a glare from him that silenced her. Logan growled again, moving in front of her.

"She's right. Vhy does_ he_ get to call the shots?" Kurt asked with his arms crossed. He'd thought this would be a retrieval mission.

"Guys," Scott cautioned. "Let Jean sort Rogue's head out so we can get the heck out of here." He was at least a little suspicious of Remy, and so was Logan. The redhead looked back at Rogue.

"I need permission. I won't do _anything in your head_ without it." She assured her with kind eyes. Rogue looked back at Remy, but he wouldn't meet her stare. _'Why won't you?_' She sighed.

"It's okay." She turned to Erik, her eyes narrowed. "Ah'm not sure Ah _have a_ny answers, anyway." She shut her eyes and prepared for her mind to be invaded. Remy shut his, too, dread settling into the pit of his stomach. Jean took in a deep breath, she didn't find herself excited. She leaned in and focused on Rogue's mind. The memories haunting Rogue get to her, assault her massive mind.

Jean cries out at the brutal images slamming her mind in succession. Dead mutants everywhere. Blood as far as the eye can see. Crushed children, burned bodies lined the subway. She screamed out, clutching her head in agony._ 'Who could do this? What is happening? Nnghh-_' She struggled to keep a grip on her sanity. Rogue cried out too, leaving crescent moons in the palms of her hands as she gripped them. She inhaled sharply, the memories sending a shooting pain her head. The X-Men watched on, feeling worse about it as it continued.

_'What are they seeing?'_ Logan thought, smelling their rapid emotions. Jean gasped as she realized Mr. Sinister was there. _'He did this,'_ She thought in shock. _'That's why he tried to pin it on Gambit.'_ She cried out again, making Scott go to her side. She slowly realized the experimentation, the mutant vivisection, that was Mr. Sinister too. Remy had _seen_ it. _'T-These are his memories?'_ Jean thought in confusion.

But the lost piece of the memory repelled her from Rogue's mind with a grunt. Right there, as the Morlocks were murdered, Remy stood. He took the murderers to the Morlock's home and let them be wiped out. Destroyed. Eviscerated. Images so vile, Jean wanted them nowhere near her mind or her psychic energy. She shook her head in a daze, her stare landing on Remy. Scott followed it, shocked to see she was angry. '_What?'_

Rogue shook her head. Jean had seen something clearly, but her mind had such an avulsion to the memories that she was keeping it from herself. She was so disgusted and confused. "I don't understand," She murmured, searching her teammates face. "_Jean_?" She heaved a heavy sigh, holding herself. Remy said nothing, his eyes shut tight in denial.

"Rogue, I..." She shook her head. "I've never encountered memories so repressed like this, so _hidden_... They're _Remy's_." The X-Men burst into murmurs behind them.

_"No,_" Kitty whispered, Piotr laying a giant hand on her shoulder.

Jean blinked back tears, both Logan and Scott by her side. "He _repressed_ them because he stood by while the Morlocks were_ killed_. Those massive amounts of mutant signatures disappearing, their disappearances..." Kitty let out a loud wail, Kurt bracing her shoulders. Scott doubled over like he'd been punched in the gut, jumping when Logan revealed his claws. Even Charles looked at Remy in shock._ 'Remy, what have you done...'_ "He assembled the Marauders and led them there. He cleaned up the _mess_ after." She reported, shaking her head.

Dozens of eyes landed on the cajun, who said nothing.

_He knew something bad was going to happen, but he did it anyway. Belladonna had just died, he was drifting without a purpose after Magneto settled down. Sinister promised him things. Power. Riches. Whatever he wanted. He took Sabretooth's group down into the sewers for their secret mission. Their only objective was carnage, to make it as painful and bloody as possible. _

_Even Remy was shocked. What he expected to be a mugging was a massacre. Genocide. There's so much blood, blood everywhere like the color of his eyes. He tries to turn away, escape the violence, but it's everywhere. Soon, you cannot step anywhere without touching a body. The body of a dead, defenseless mutant. _

_He knew what he was doing was wrong._

_Wasn't right. But he'd never imagined what he was seeing, that he'd be responsible for something so heinous. So horrible. He was sick at the sight, and it forever changed him. Changed who he was. Rogue felt it. Jean saw it. _

_'Sometimes I wish I died there, too.' _

"You worked for Sinister." Jean hung her head, wishing she didn't have to say these words in front of Rogue. "Up until pretty recently. He told you to take the Marauders there." Scott shook his head in equal parts shock and disgust.

"You're a _monster.._." He growled, cracking his fists. Kurt and Kitty shook their heads, Piotr towering over them angrily. He regretted his stint as an Acolyte, and he always felt being an X-Man was the least he could do. There were leagues separating him and the cajun, he saw that now. Rogue stood beside him, frozen in place. Her face was blank, her mind shattered by the memories. _'No..'_

"In your institute, on his way to becoming one of the_ X-Men_." Erik turned to Remy with disdain. "Do you regret my actions _now,_ Charles?" The telepath did not answer, his eyes were boring into Rogue and Remy. Wondering where it'd gone wrong, if Rogue would be okay.

Logan tentatively pulled the girl away from Remy, his dark eyes staring through him. He wanted to do a lot of things, but he would be there for Rogue, first. Remy wouldn't lift his face so he could inspect it. There were no lies told, and how could he? She had his memories. This is why he ran in the first place, to spare her _this_. Leave her with horrifying glimmers she'd never understand, not the mind numbing truth. He had failed, as usual, to protect her.

Logan ushered her with Kurt and Kitty. Quickly, he doubled back and launched himself. Not at Erik, but at _Remy_. Jean caught him just in time, frowning. _"Logan,"_ She began. Remy stared at the man unflinchingly. She sighed, knowing they couldn't just leave him there. Could they? She turned to him, knowing Rogue's heart would be shattered beyond repair. "Y'know," Her stare hardened. "You're lucky Storm isn't here. She led the Morlocks for a time. She would make a different decision."

Logan floated after her as she retreated. Erik shoved Remy, his face screwed in disgust. "I have no use for _you,_ just to make sure your scheming behind stays away from Charles and his school. They will face enough obstacles without you."

He hung his head, realizing once again, he belonged nowhere. His feet started moving before his brain worked. He ran, chasing helplessly after Rogue and the X-Men. She hadn't even said anything, she just stared. Like she was reliving it. "_Rogue,_" He called out weakly. "Wait-" They had promised, they had said come what may moments ago. It still counted, right?

Rogue trudged in silence, Logan pulling her worriedly along to the ship. He didn't know if he was more relieved or worried by her silence. They would leave him to fend for himself, and work on her healing from those memories. The X-Men paused when white clouds covered the sky. Logan had cut the inhibitor off her once they'd left. In an instant, a violent blizzard appeared. Ice fell from the sky, covering the ground in moments. Logan roared and unsheathed his claws, but Scott doubled back.

"The last thing she needs is-" Remy stumbled in the snow, falling to Scott's feet. He looked up, straining to see through specks of white. Rogue stood beside Logan, unmoving. _'Is this her?'_ He thought in awe. He shivered, shirtless in the damn snow. He once was a man who wouldn't beg for anything, he would die first. Then he met her.

He looked up and she was standing there by a cliff. By the X-Jet. Staring at him. He'd never seen the expression on her face before. He stood, her teammates silent as he stumbled for her. Logan started to stop him, but Jean held him back.

"_Rogue-"_

"Those were ya memories." The blizzard's intensity rose. "You left, because you _knew_ you were keeping that from me. From _all of us._ I defended you... You, you _left_ me. You left me to think you hated me because of my_ powers._.." He dropped his head, tears stinging his cheeks in the cold. "You worked for Sinister looking for my mother's_ diaries_." More heads snap toward the mutant. Scott starts towards the southern mutant angrily.

Jean shakes her head, doing her best to hold him back. "When you _first_ came," Rogue choked on a sob. "You came t_o kidnap me_ to... For..." She turned away, holding herself tight. It hurt too much to say. Remy shook his head, wondering how he'd fail to show her that she'd eclipsed it all. Time was a circle, just like the last time he'd came for her, this was the same. It didn't matter how they felt, now.

_"Rogue,"_ He looked up helplessly. "_I love you-" _Some of the X-Men gasped in shock or disgust. He reached out weakly for her, but she flew off the cliff's edge. She hovered, out of his reach. Angry tears shone in her eyes, but it was the disappointment that hurt Remy the most. He'd never seen a more disappointed face.

_"No,_" Rogue said. She tossed the Queen of Hearts in the snow, revealing that even if she'd thrown most of his cards away, she had kept the first one. Jean hung her head, feeling the regret and reluctance Rogue felt as she tossed it. It was like a knife in his heart. "You're _honest_ with the people you love, Gambit. Otherwise, it's just a gamble." She told him, looking down at the card in the snow. "You weren't honest." Her lip trembled. "Ah _can't_ forgive that. _We_ can't forgive that."

He watched her in shock. "B-But where will I _go?_" He looked around at Genosha. There was nothing there. Her eyes hardened. "_Please..."_

"Ah don' know _and_ Ah don' care." She tightened her fists. "You need to fend for yaself. Ya did good at that in the past." The wind blew between them, covering Remy's eyelashes in snow.

"C'mon." Logan insisted. Kitty was draped in a giant X-Jacket and Logan draped his leather one over Rogue. "Let's go home." He watched them board the plane and leave him stranded on the abandoned island. Even Magneto was gone. His punishment had been handed down. He was alone.


	7. Return

_"Rogue..." Against better judgement, she looked into his eyes. Those ocean eyes. How did she feel so much when she looked at them? Why did they make this ten times harder. She knew what she had to do. For the X-Men. For the Morlocks. For herself. "I love you." She closed her eyes, almost laughing. Of course he says it after he's passed the point of no return. After they have sex under Magneto's captivity. Of course._

_Of course he used it as a bargaining chip. A way to keep her from being tired of being hurt by him. "You're honest with the people you love, Gambit." She responded. Didn't he know? How many times she'd been used. Betrayed. That she couldn't tolerate it, not even from him. That she owed herself that much. It's like she twisted a knife in his heart, but he doesn't look surprised. _

_He saw it coming. He deserved it. He loves her that much more for sticking to her guns. It wouldn't be like her to fold over three words. _

"You think_ long_ and hard about this." Logan's eyes burned through the girl, her growing locks cropped above her shoulders again. She tended to fiddle with her hair during times of stress. Cut it, let it grow. Chemically straighten it, leave it natural. The girl's hair seemed to be part of her mutation as well, it could do anything. And right now, she looked like the defensive teenager she was a few years ago. This worried him, he knew the past few days had affected her.

He gazed at her, a worn leather jacket shrugged on his broad shoulders. It had been a couple of days since the X-Men left Remy in Genosha. Since Rogue had turned away from him saying 'I love you'. The professor was none too pleased with the decision, but he couldn't blame Rogue or the rest of them. Her memories proved traumatic for the whole team to learn about their fallen comrades. Charles and the other admins figured something gruesome had happened to the peaceful mutants, but it was worse than they could've prepared for. And Rogue lived with it all in her mind.

"Ah don't deserve to be on the X-Men." She responded, her voice flat. In her hand, was a crudely packed duffel bag. Professor Xavier watched her carefully, not speaking, but listening very carefully with what she chose to say. He didn't think she should be off on her own, but he felt a great need to respect her boundaries. He was glad her teammates had no qualms telling her how wanted and needed she was.

"That's not true." Scott corrects quickly.

"You _agree_ with leaving Remy on an abandoned island?" She had meant her actions then, her words too. But ever since they returned to New York she was filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt and regret. Like a monster. She had been so sure then, but now she felt horrible. Like she should be punished. Left somewhere. Like she shouldn't be an X-Men member anymore. Charles had urged them to be supportive and patient, and that the effect of all this on the girl's mind had been taxing.

Picking apart other people's feelings from her own was becoming increasingly difficult. He understood the struggle well. He wanted to guide her into the right choice without forcing the poor girl, and it was getting increasingly difficult. "Ah don't feel sure, not about _anythin'_ in my head right now." Rogue looked at the ground. "Ah think I need to-"

"That's_ bull_, Rogue." Logan cut in, his eyes shining with emotion. If she ran off, he knew they wouldn't see her again. "You need your friends and family to help you_ through_ this." He insisted. Rogue huffed. "I know it's been tough, and I'm sorry. But this stuff get's better when you're with your friends, loved ones. _That's_ how you heal." He stared, a hard look on his face.

"Ah _abandoned_ someone Ah was thinking of sayin' Ah love you to." She stood close to Logan, glaring. "Feel good about me bein' on this team, now?" Kurt stepped forward, his brow wrinkled in concern.

"Rogue, ve all understand what you did, and vhy." He urged. Remy was the least of their issues right now. Kitty nodded in agreement.

"If anything, we're kind of glad. Those memories have been torturing you for months." Her old roommate said with a frown. Jean nodded solemnly.

"When he knew you'd have his memories, he fled. One would say he _abandoned_ you, Rogue." She added gently. Scott nodded.

"Sounds like you're both even." He added. Rogue shook her head.

"Then why doesn't it feel like it?" She asked bitterly, looking around at her friends. Nobody had the answers to the questions in her head. She couldn't help but feel that she was a special case in accepting what she'd done. Anyone else would've been chewed out, and she hated that. Logan placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing reassuringly.

"Because, you're a_ good person_, Rogue. And you were put in a rough situation that _had_ no good answers." Charles nodded behind him. "Please, put your bags down and just relax." She searched his face and felt if she could trust anyone, it was him. She searched the pleading look in his eyes, then sighed. With a groan, she let her bags drop to the floor. Jean smiled, lifting the bag with telekinesis.

"Kitty and I will take this to your room." She offered, smiling as the two girls disappeared. Kurt approached his sibling with a smile.

"Leaving the school vould be a mistake." Wrapped an arm around her. "You're stuck vith us." She grimaced, squirming in his grasp.

"For now," She snorted, crossing her arms. She tried to smile but her mind was preoccupied._ 'Why did Ah do what Ah did?'_ She couldn't answer herself. It had been the only thing she wanted to do, but she regretted it. She filed awkwardly out of the room behind Scott and her brother, leaving Logan and the professor behind. As if on cue, they both sighed.

"It's been a rough couple of months, Chuck." The telepath nodded in agreement, leaning his chin on his hands.

"I _know,_ Logan. She's lucky to have friends like her teammates and_ you_ to guide her." Logan's face flushed red, suddenly embarrassed. He didn't do the things he did for praise, praise mortified him. It was just who he was, especially when it came to Rogue. They had so much in common, had been through so many of the same things, how could he not watch over her? He returned an uneasy smile.

"I know she's strong, thank _god._ I just..." He gripped a fist. "I'm just worried about her meeting her breaking point again." The memories of her shaking and crying plague his mind. The look in her eyes when she didn't know who she was. It all haunted him. He growled uneasily. Charles nodded, he was always worried about the same thing.

"All we can do is be here for her." He answered tiredly, like he spent many nights worrying about the same thing. He hadn't slept well since Vargas breached all of their security._ 'Not to be heard of for months...'_ He was planning something, the psychic was sure of it. And he didn't like that. This was the calm before the storm, and it was barely that.

He frowned at the other mutant, communicating a lot in his disconcerted look.

* * *

"Piotr?" Both Kitty and the large mutant looked at the girl in a restless sleep on the Rec Room couch. She had trouble sleeping in her room, too many sights and smells that triggered memories. Once the trip down memory lane started, sometimes they couldn't be stopped. Her zone outs were steadily increasing in frequency and intensity, so the blackouts earned her more sessions with the professor. And she was under the much more watchful eyes of her friends and Logan.

After a movie or two, she found she got better sleep in the Rec Room. Whether students were hanging out there, or not. Kitty sighs, wondering if she left the girl's room too soon. Rogue was too stubborn, too proud to reach out for someone most of the time. If she did want her to stay, she'd never admit it. He looked down to the brunette, her eyes fixated on her friend. "Katya," He said softly, interrupting her daydream.

"D-Do you think... Do you think Remy was_ okay_?" Her voice was almost inaudible as Rogue slept. Piotr looked at the ground. Kitty, so pure, she couldn't even bring herself to fully hate Gambit. And he deserved it. That's why he loved her. "Not that I really _care,_ but if we left him and something happened to him because of that..." She stared at Rogue's face. "It'd be _our_ fault, right?" He frowned.

"I think he is fine. You forget he served Magneto. Remy earned no such honor by having no survival skills." He answered carefully. He had observed the cajun a lot when he was an Acolyte. His laissez-faire attitude was an act, a ruse. Remy could just as soon cause somebody's death while he shuffled cards. Probably had, without thinking twice. He was not to be underestimated, or expected to just keel over in Genosha.

She nodded, not sure if she was glad or weary for Rogue. They were like magnets. Even when she didn't know him, couldn't stand him, she could hardly keep herself away from him. And after she returned from New Orleans she smiled nonstop for days. Kitty sighed. She used to feel that way about Lance. For better or worse, no matter what, that they were endgame. They had shared unique experiences. Now, she wasn't even sure what he was up to.

'_Just as quickly as someone can become irreplaceable in your life...'_ She thought as Piotr wrapped her carefully in his arms.

"Everything will work out, Katya. Things usually do." She smiled up at him.

"You're right, I shouldn't worry. What do we ever have to worry about?" They both laughed as they reflected on plenty of things to be worried about.

* * *

Jean watched Logan with an unimpressed face as he tortured himself on the outside obstacle course, running it on it's hardest setting. Bullets and saws collided with his body, bloody wounds rapidly healing. Ever since Mystique successfully kidnapped Rogue, he'd taken his training to the nth degree. It wasn't training anymore, it was punishment. And Jean was tired of watching it. He wasn't the best communicator before, but ever since, he was even harder to read. Understand, and the telepath used to understand him best of all.

"End simulation," He barked, staring up at the cloudless sky. She approached, dwarfed in a large, X-Jacket. He didn't turn to face her as she approached from behind.

"What're you doing?" She asked, staring off into the horizon with him. He wiped his face with the back of his hand.

"Trainin'." He answered, panting. She rolled her eyes.

"Why are you running the doomsday outside course?" She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. He sighed.

"What's it to ya, _Red_?" He started past her but she followed, her face determined.

"You know I care very much if my friend is torturing himself." He paused. He hated how she was always right, about everything. Her mind had all the answers before he could even open his mouth.

"Who's torturing themselves," He asked as if she didn't know what she meant. He took a swig of water, avoiding green eyes. She chewed her lip, he wasn't going to make it easy for her.

"You've been... Approaching things differently. Ever since she was _taken_-" He stood abruptly and tried to exit the conversation, but Jean followed. "Logan, would you let _her_ walk around this long with talking about it?" He growled in frustration. She was getting tired of him not holding himself to the same standard he held them. They were expected to work hard, love themselves. So should he.

"What is there to _say_?" He snapped, immediately regretting his tone. "I let her_ down_. I was here, playing _Mutie Ball_ when Mystique came in here and snatched her right under our noses." She nodded sympathetically. He could barely talk about how for half of that trip, Rogue thought she was acting under his orders. She trusted him fully and found it imperative to follow his instructions.

"Logan," She began gently. "You _know_ Mystique is virtually in-detectable. She's a nightmare for a place like this, full of students." He shook his head, disappointed.

"Not an excuse, Red. She didn't just kidnap her... She-" His claws shot out unexpectedly. "She caused _millions_ of dollars in property damage under her control. S.H.I.E.L.D came to the mansion. They built a new sentinel after that. She almost_ died._" Jean can see the lethal rage in his eyes, and she understands. Mystique was a habitual line crosser, but she nearly took their teammate away. "We didn't know how she was gonna wake up,_ if_ she would wake up, whether or not she'd be herself..._ Carol,_" His throat tightened. "She's _never_ gonna wake up. A good woman, a _hero_, like us-"

He was silenced when Jean placed a comforting hand on his bicep, and then her head. "I_ know_ I can't stop you from blaming yourself." She said, staring into charcoal eyes. He suddenly found himself breathless as she looked at him unflinchingly. "But_ please_ know, none of this is your fault. It's_ Mystique'_s. You're not the reason that stuff happened to her, that Remy hurt her." She shook her head. "You're the reason she's still_ her_e, Logan. You don't ever have to question that."

She placed the box of incense in his hands for no particular reason, and placed a kiss on his head before hovering off. He watched her in amazement, wishing he didn't also have a slew of his own problems he was ignoring through Rogue's.

_'Red..._'

* * *

Logan was already on his way when he heard a plate shatter. It was sundown, he was enjoying the peace and quiet and a cigarette when he heard the ruckus. He sniffed, his feet already working. _'Kitty,_' He thought, picking up his gait.

She stood in overalls at the door, staring in shock at the guests. The woman looked like late night dancer, with purple hair and the features of a model. And not very many clothes. She stood next to Gambit in an indigo, skin tight dress. She ran a hand through violet hair and stared at Kitty like she were a toddler. She had her hand lazily on Remy's shoulder. She and Remy shared a look and a chuckle, making Kitty blush.

She shook her short hair, recently chopped into a bob. Remy's eyes glinted in the sunlight. "_Bonjour_, petite." She dropped the dish, wondering just what was about to happen when Rogue saw this. The mystery woman was shrouded in Remy's trench coat. She backed away, bristling like a cat.

"Aw, she'_s cute,_ Rem. High schooler?" Her eyes slid to the woman, a mutant no doubt. '_Rem?'_ Kitty imagined phasing her into a wall and leaving. She frowned when she saw Logan and Scott coming in hot. _'Uh, professor-'_

'_I know, Kitty. Remy and Betsy are welcome to come in my office. Please try to keep the mansion from being destroyed in the process.'_ The girl he'd called Betsy enveloped her hand in a pink energy, a sneer on her face. Remy was ushering her back, though. His frown was serious. He wanted to cause a disturbance, but not a fight. Jean was able to intercept Logan but Scott pressed forward, his hand on his glasses.

He shot a blast that hit the mutant squarely in the chest. Remy launched onto the steps, Betsy crouching in a defensive stance. "That was for the Morlocks." He said as Jean rushed to his side.

"_Scott-_"

Betsy prepared to fling herself into the fray, but Remy yelled out. "Don' worry about it," He assured her, standing. "Remy deserved it." Scott reached for his glasses again, but Jean stopped him, a scowl on her face. Rogue flew around the corner, in a form fitting, black X-Suit and what appeared to be one of Logan's leather jackets on over. She froze in place when she realized who had arrived. Her mind didn't even register the other woman standing beside him.

"Ah, _silvery hair_..." Betsy commented, looking her up and down. "She_ is_ pretty cute." That ripped the southerner's attention from Remy. She smiled sweetly, slipping her glove off before Scott and Jean restrained her. Jean cried out when she pressed against them with her inhuman strength. Betsy only smiled.

"Not worth it," Scott insisted, his glasses glinting. "What the _hell_ are you doing back here, Swamp Rat." Remy's face hardened. "I ought to-"

"Ya mean since ya _left_ me in Genosha?" Rogue wrenched free from Scott, her eyes ablaze. "Place didn' even have running _water_." He said, his face even. He was staring at Rogue, who'd literally flew out of his touch back there. Over half a year had passed, but to him it was like it had just happened._ 'How could she...'_ He deserved a lot of things, but even he didn't think he deserved that.

Rogue exhaled sharply, Logan pulling her away. "Not _worth_ it," He insisted, fighting the urge to draw his own claws. Betsy grinned.

"Oh, are _you all_ the lot that left him on the abandoned island? Had a lot of fun locating him with my telepathy." He folded her arms.

"I'm sure it must've been very difficult for a telepath of your level." Jean responded without missing a beat. Scott turned to his girlfriend in surprise, not used to reprimanding her. Betsy only sneered.

_"Jean," _

_'Jean, please escort Remy and Betsy to my office.'_ The look on Jean's face told what the professor had asked. Rogue shook her head no as the telepath gestured upstairs.

"This way..." She began reluctantly. Scott shook his head, fuming.

"He's gonna let them_ stay_..." Rogue shot from their sides out the door, leaving a gust of wind with her. Logan snarled, doubling back the other way. Scott stood there, alone.

* * *

"I'm afraid I must do what I believe is right." Logan snarled in protest, his fists shaking. Betsy had already been escorted to her room long ago, Remy watching as the mutants argued over him. His read and black eyes glowered, watching them both with interest. "Logan, you know my thoughts on what this school _is._"

"He _murdered_ innocent, defenseless mutants!" A small crowd had gathered outside of the professor's office to listen. "He led _Sabretooth_ to the Morlocks to have them extinguished. What more do we-"

"You know what occurred on Genosha is_ not_ the X-Men way." Logan clamped his mouth shut, knowing from his friend's tone there was no arguing. "I can _hardly_ fault Rogue. I know what she was experiencing mentally and emotionally was torture. Crippling. Of that," He turned to Remy. "I have no doubt. And you_ did_ abandon her to deal with your memories all alone, just as she abandoned you." Remy gripped his fist tight. Charles faced the man like a disappointed father, and he felt fear.

The man was completely right, he had no rebuttal to what he said. Logan snorted. "I'm a firm believer of an eye for an eye leaves the world blind." He massaged a temple tiredly. "Why not make all this right?"

"Cause it _ain't_ right." Logan pressed, fighting tooth and nail for Rogue's peace. Remy sighed.

"If it's any consolation, Remy ain' here on no funny business. And Remy think he deserved to be left behind." He shrugged. Just hearing the mutant's voice infuriated Logan. Charles smiled tensely.

"Remy, I'm sure you're feeling tired. I've just contacted Hank to show you to your room." He made himself disappear as they continued talking.

Charles' stare hardened. "Now, I understand Rogue being emotionally compromised on Genosha, but the rest of you letting that travesty happen-"

"He's a_ manipulator,_ Charles. Everything Magneto said was true, and he said not a word about it! Tried to say he_ loved her_ when he begged for her forgiveness, and you're letting him back in this house. How can you do that to her?"

"I cannot turn down the mission statement of the school, especially when it seems I've failed Remy once. On our side, he cannot hurt Rogue or anyone else-" Logan stormed off before he finished talking.

"Yeah, right."

* * *

Scott squinted at Remy and Betsy, necking each other under the shade of a tree. He had insisted on getting the team together to grill, spend time together. And Remy and his new friend had insisted on coming outside to make out. All in all, it seemed to bother everyone else besides Rogue. She wasn't paying any mind, even taking over the grill as Scott became more flustered.

"It's cruel," Jean murmured, her arms folded across her bust. She did not feel good energy coming from the other psychic, and Jean was good at reading energy. She was naturally a jealous person, if Scott had done something like this to her, it wouldn't have ended well. Remy had been Rogue's only real romantic partner, and he had not sold relationships for her. Kitty mimed a gag, biting her veggie dog, half her hair in a tiny bun.

"Cruel and tacky, _like ew_." She shivered involuntarily. "He's like a little puppy dog, doing_ anything_ for her attention. And_ she's_ pathetic for playing into it." She stuck her nose up, angry for Rogue. She had her nose tuned to the grill, not a certain cajun. Scott huffed and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"I'm gonna say something-" Jean placed an arm on his chest.

"_Not_ a good idea."

"We can't jus-"

"Nobody cares what Gumbo does." The wistful stare in her eye betrayed her words as she handed her brother a hamburger. He smiled wide, biting down in excitement. But still, all things considered, Rogue was holding up. The Rogue from a few years ago would've lost it, easily. She sent the couple a pointed glare. "He's _her_ problem, now." With that, she took to the sky to a destination unknown. Remy watched her go, an amused look on his face. The look faded, and the look on his face told it all.

"Aw," Betsy said, her British accent garnering stares. "Usin' me to get her attention?" She frowned when he didn't acknowledge her. "Gambit?'

"Only 'bout 80%-20%." He said with a halfhearted grin. She shook her head.

"Appreciate the honesty." She rolled her eyes, looking up at the sky. "She looked pretty done with yo-"

"Don't wanna talk about it,_ petite._" He stood, his face in a frown. The X-Men watched as he shuffled off to occupy his time somewhere else.

'_Is Remy really dat obvious,'_ He thought. He couldn't even hurt Rogue right. He rifled a hand through shaggy hair, wishing he could just get over this.

* * *

"What were you up to before you showed up here, Ms. Braddock?" Remy was busy poking around the blue mutant's lab, looking for something to steal to make sure he wasn't getting rusty. Betsy was apparently very interested in his work and and his scholarly talk. She didn't miss a beat, pulling up a seat to see what Hank did.

"I majored in biology and environmental studies, After I graduated from college I've been traveling," She explained. "That's how I met _that_ scoundrel." They both chuckled while he frowned, eyeing Hank's flasks.

"Remy _right_ over here..." Betsy chuckled, leaning in closely to a beaker of a substance Hank was holding.

"I can't lie, I'm a scoundrel, too. I'm basically a female Remy." Hank chuckled.

"Smart _and_ wild, I like you, Ms. Braddock. We could use someone like you around." He beamed as she lit up her unique telekinesis, casting a pink glow over his notes.

_"Fascinating_," He murmured as Remy slipped out. He was beginning to feel like he was a third wheel to them. Betsy seemed to be fitting in better than he was. He found himself tagging along with her or alone. Other students dare not speak to him, and he found himself either trying to rile Rogue up subconsciously or avoiding her all together. '_Why is Remy like dis...'_

He slipped out silently, neither mutant noticing. He found himself traveling silently through the shadows, exploring the mansion for himself. He soon found himself lost, wandering until he found an elevator. No destination, he boarded and went to the ground floor. It let him out near the kitchen, and he turned in to find the one mutant he hadn't been around alone. Rogue.

How much time had separated them? Since they laid together in Genosha. Since Betsy pulled him out of the saloon? Time was not something that existed in Remy's world anymore, and certainly not now as he saw her. All of the air escaped his lungs as he froze. She stood before him, grabbing an apple to eat. She had on dark blue camo military pants that Logan had gifted her for training.

She'd peeled the rest of the uniform off after training finished, a plain white t shirt tucked in. Her short hair was in a stubby ponytail as she did her best to ignore the cajun. But he spoke. "Rogue." His mind was screaming a hundred things, but that was all he said.

She dropped the apple. "Ya just _had_ to say something." She grumbled, picking it up and tossing it in the trash. His face went even, and then smug.

"Aw, ya _mad_ at Remy for bringin' a girl?" He questioned, grabbing a clean apple for himself. He took a juicy bite and stared at her. "Sorry,_ petite_. Didn't think we was on speakin' terms." He laughed now, but they had both cried over their last meeting on the island. Rogue shook her head. "Remy be ya boy if ya ask nicely." He sneered at her. "_Maybe."_

"Keep tellin' yaself that, Gambit." His grip on the fruit went white knuckle when she called him by his codename. That hurt, she took care not to call him that name once they got to know each other. That name was for associates, not friends. And they certainly aren't friends.

"Oh, ya call me _Gambit_ now?" He questioned, the hurt evident. She huffed. She'd avoided this song and dance for weeks, she would continue to.

"Ah don't call you_ anything_." She refused. She would not give in to his banter. He challenged the hard look in her eye and knew she meant it. "We're bad for each other, Gambit. Let's just leave it at that." His shocked face melted into a hard one.

"Remy made some mistakes," He mumbled, suddenly protective of whatever they shared in the past. It felt as inevitable as breathing to him. "But Ah wouldn't go _that_ far." Her expression didn't change. He was a vision from her dreams, long, tawny hair in a ponytail. He stared at her in a black X shirt and worn jeans, wishing this was a spat they'd make up for with kissing. Those days were gone.

"Ah _abandoned_ you." They stood for a moment in silence. "After you left _me_ to deal wit' _your_ memories." Remy found he had nothing to say. It was true, all of it. "What part of this sounds good fo_r eithe_r of us? Why don't you respect yourself enough to be angry with me?" She gasped when he met her eyes. Rogue had thought she'd felt all she could about the mutant, but she was wrong. Her feelings on him were never a safe bet.

_"Sometimes,_" He began, whether she would listen or not. "Y'do more harm tryin'_ not_ to hurt people than you would doin' notin' at all." She clenched her fists tight, threatening to rip her gloves._ 'Is he tryin' to excuse the Morlocks?'_ Nothing could make her understand, see his point of view. She had witnessed it, and he didn't even warn her.

"If you're tryin' to get me to_ sympathize_ with you, ya won't. What you did to the _Morlocks_..." His face fell. "Isn't_ forgivable_, Remy." The words sink in like a knife. "Jus' like me leavin' you on Genosha_, that_ isn't forgivable." Her brow furrowed. "Ya can't just come here, tryin' to make witty banter with me! We've passed that point, we_ can't_ go back." She told him harshly, her hands shaking. "That ink is dry."

He dropped his stare. They were the smartest words he'd ever heard. "I don't blame you, _chére_." She was taken aback by how soft his voice was. "Jean went diggin' through yo' mind, brought up _my_ memories..." He carried with him how he feels every day. "You felt _my own_ self-hate. My guilt." She looked away from him. "What _else_ could ya do besides leave me t'die? When I think of those memories," He clutched his fist tight. "I _want_ to be left t'die."

Rogue inhaled sharply, the feelings rising up in her own chest. "_Stop_," She whispered.

"It hurt Remy, but Remy can't blame _you_. He not de one who get to be mad." He told her, his face sullen. She backed away as he crossed the floor to her, his eyes locked with hers. "Remy _thought_ he wanna die, but I realized out dere I didn' want to. Even if you _hated_ me, Rogue. I wanted to get back here and see you." Rogue felt helpless as a blush tinged her cheeks. "Dats de truth."

She stumbled into his arms when the whole mansion began to shake, violently. She was hovering in the air a second later.

_'Guys,'_ Jean called mentally. _'What was that?'_

_'I don't know.'_ Scott responded._ 'To the lawn guys, check it out_.' Rogue looked at Remy, fear in her eyes. So quickly she forgot their conversation.

"Protect the kids, Remy." He reached out as she zipped off, off to be a hero. He sucked his teeth and followed after Rogue as the shaking grew worse._ 'What de hell happenin' here?'_ He found two massive sentinels descending onto the lawn to answer the questions. The purple and pink armor glinted in the sunlight as the robots swept the lawn with searchlights.

Laura launched her body at at the sentinel to cut through the wiring. She was captured instantly in a green, jello like substance. All of the original X-Men remembered this phenomena well. Rogue flew forward quickly as Logan screamed, dropping into a rage. Barely thinking, Rogue phased through the springy cage and released Laura back into the fray.

"Get younger kids to fall back, they are trying to collect us!" Scott screamed, unleashing a full optic blast into one of the robots. They seemed a little sturdier than models past, eating the solar energy easily._ 'What are these things?_' He screamed as a net fired at Kitty, who's back was turned. "Katherine-"

The purple haired mutant flew from the air, her telekinetic knife slashing through the net, leaving Kitty free. With a wild scream, she unleashed a butterfly, projectile blast her psychic energy, effectively scrambling one of the machines. She stood smirking in her indigo, backless jumpsuit. Kitty stared at her in disbelief, not even sure how to categorize her powers. "Whoa."

Logan roared, slicing through tentacles that held Jubilee and Jean, dropping them both to safety. '_None of us are putting a dent in them, and they're just here to collect us._' Jean rose in the air, focusing her massive abilities. One sentinel rose in the air and slammed into the other, machine and metal screeching. The relentless robots slowly stood from the grass, facing the mutants again.

Remy cursed, his back to Betsy. In his hands, cards glowed pink. "Don't dese things get _tired,_ Psylocke?" He complained, tossing his cards into the fray. She smirked.

"Dunno, never fought one before." She leapt over the cajun screaming, flinging her real sword at the weapons. Remy shook his head and followed, swinging his staff furiously. He frowned when he saw Jubilee's ankle get caught in a goo trap, her ankle sunk. He dove quickly, tossing a spray of cards to blast the robot back. He charged his hands slightly and placed it in the goo, melting it and freeing her foot.

"R-Remy,_ thank yo_u-" He ushered her to a less dangerous spot.

"Careful, _petit-_" A rocket landed close, blasting him in the air and on the ground. One of the sentinels shined a massive, red light on him.

"MUTANT, SPOTTED." A turret rose on it's shoulder, preparing to shoot him. Betsy landed in front, blocking the blast with a psychic shield. That gave him just enough time to stand, dusting himself off before pressing his back to her.

Black clouds covered the sky as Ororo began to do what did best. Rogue flew beside Jean and focused on her memories. She'd been doing a lot of work with her powers, it'd been a great distraction for Remy's coming and going. Focusing on Magneto, she began ripping metal sheets off, exposing the robots' circuitry. Sheets of rain poured all over everything, making the machines act weird.

Jean tugged with her telepathy to pull the wires out as Rogue ripped the metal away. Kitty phased her arms through where she could, pulling and tugging on wires. Sentinels just had to be borderline destroyed to act dysfunctional. Both Rogue and Jean's brows dripped with sweat in the rain as they kept at it. Betsy joined in the fray, using her concussive telekinesis to interfere with the robots wiring.

Remy joined her, tossing explosive cards in the holes of it's armor.

"MUTANT, SPOTTED." Two, long tentacles snaked out of the robot, wrapping around Remy's waist. He cried out in surprise, tossing several cards at the sentinel like his life depended on it. He snarled as the robot squeezed him, preparing to detain him for experimentation. The air whistled out of his lungs, his fingerless gloved hands gripping the metal. Rogue saw just out of the corner of her eye._ 'No,'_ Rogue had been detained, captured when she wandered the world as Carol. Remy wouldn't have the same fate.

Betsy jumped up with a vengeance, her hand swallowed in purple energy. "Back off!" she screamed, but the other robot's massive fist collided with her, sending her careening into the grass. Hank galloped to her side, using his superhuman strength to defend her from more tentacles. He fought off the nets, keeping her from being captured. She came to to see him defending her. _'Thank you...'_

Rogue pivoted in the air as soon as Betsy was launched back. Rogue tugged on him, but he was gripped tight in the tentacle, hissing in pain. _"Chére,"_ He croaked as she wrenched furiously to free him. Without a word, her eyes went yellow and the metal of the sentinel began to warp to her will. She grunted with the effort as the tentacle released Remy. She sent the scraps to the ground and grabbed him, taking him to the ground.

When he stood on solid ground she shot back to the air, grabbing the sentinel's tentacles and hurling the entire machine over her head and into the the lawn. The whole campus shook as she screamed. She stared at the twisted metal hatefully. Ororo followed with a well timed lightning strike, and that robot was down for the count. Rogue landed on the ground and shared a one second, relieved smile with Remy. Unfortunately, the other sentinel was not as damaged.

It flew forward with frightening speed, too fast for Rogue to see it coming. She was already hit by the time Remy started screaming. The machine slammed tons of weight into Rogue with it's fist, sending her smashing into the institute's walls. "_ROGUE,"_ Logan screamed for her, pulling Kitty out of the way of another trap. She was holding her head in a daze, Bobby slamming into the ground behind them. Kurt ported over and grabbed them both, getting them out of the way of a laser. Logan's claws sliced through rockets as he struggled to keep up with the chaos.

The sentinel shined another spotlight on the pile of rubble Rogue had been smacked into. Remy ran as fast as his feet would carry him, tossing half his deck at the ground, exploding a spray of dirt and grass everywhere. The blast kept Rogue safe.

Ororo cried out, reaching for the sky to attack with. Jean pushed with her telekinesis, a few trees smashing into the sentinel for good measure. Scott ran beside her, firing a strong optic blast to halt the dangerous technology. When the lighting connected, the robot finally died. It collapsed into a heap, the lights powering down. Both women lowered to the ground, panting.

"That was _too_ close," Ororo complained quickly, Jean landing beside her.

"They get the authorization in no time, now." She frowned, as Scott moved around the tattered lawn, looking for injuries. He frowned when he spotted Remy furiously digging through rubble. Like a madman._ 'No...' _He thought. Piotr ran over to help, moving giant piles with ease. Remy didn't slow down, he kept replaying the sound the sentinel made when it smacked her aside. '_Girl...'_

Logan peered into Kurt's eyes, trying to tell if he had a concussion or not. "I'm fine, _honest_." He insisted, staring at the two Logans. When Hank walked by he ushered Kurt and Kitty to go with him and get treated. They were feeling too sore to protest, the blue mutant taking them in his care. He sniffed and frowned when he realized he hadn't had eyes on Rogue._ 'Was she taken?'_ No, he smelled her. Then, where was she?

He rocketed towards the rubble when he spotted Remy, too worried to start a problem. He helped clear the brick and plaster, revealing Rogue draped on debris underneath. Her white shirt was stained with soot and small flecks of blood. He cursed under his breath, helping Remy carefully peel her out of the crater. "Easy," He instructed, supporting her neck and the back of her head. He sniffed to see if he detected an emergency. She smelled stable, but she had a bloodied cut on her forehead.

_"Rogue_," Remy whispered, studying her for any movement. He hated seeing her still like this. She twitched and moaned, and Remy carefully slipped from around her. He was just glad to see her move, the way the sentinel had hit her he wasn't sure she'd get up. He exhaled, letting Jean, Scott, and Logan take his place at her side. She was fine, mostly just dazed. As usual, Logan insisted she see Hank even though she was invulnerable and had his healing factor.

Rogue would humor him, she'd feel fine in a couple of hours, tops. Scott extends a hand to help her up, smiling. Betsy and Remy hung back on the torn lawn, watching as the X-Men retreated inside. Rogue rubbed her temple, wondering why her mind was frozen on Remy_. 'Coulda swore I saw him when I woke up...'_ But when she blinked, she saw Jean, Logan and Scott.

She turned back unsurely before disappearing inside. Remy watched her the whole way in.


	8. Affair

Hank hummed as he gently cleaned the contusion on Rogue's head, causing her no additional pain. Kurt and Kitty waited for her after getting their lumps looked at. They both were sitting quietly and smugly, and the southern girl couldn't figure out why. It was like they won a bet, or they just couldn't wait to say something. They got their chance when Hank and Logan wandered away.

"So, ya gonna go talk to _Gambit_ after this?" Rogue looked at her best friend, appalled that she felt so comfortable to speak his name.

_"Katherine-"_

"She's_ right,_ Rogue." Kurt chimed in with a shrug, sipping on a cup of soda. "For two people who've_ abandoned_ each other... You vere sure Romeo and Juliet out there." Rogue blushed a deep red, angry and embarrassed now that the danger had passed. It was still all a sore subject when nobody was in danger. She crossed her arms with a huff, eyeing them both.

"Ain' no _Romeo and Juliet,"_ She snapped, hopping to her feet. "I wouldn't have let_ anyone_ get takin' by the stupid sentinel, not even him." She narrowed her eyes and looked at them both. "Maybe _next_ time Ah'll let them haul ya asses to the lab."

Kitty chuckled to herself. "It wasn't just _you._" She pointed out, Kurt grinning.

"_Ja_, Remy vas chucking more debris off you than _Piotr._" She eyed him skeptically. There was no way she would take the cajun's affections seriously ever again. Never, not after that hack trial and his memories fiasco. Even if he was apparently the first one to jump up and run to her aid. She remembered daydreaming of his face when she came to, tendrils of his long hair tickling her skin. _'Weird,_' She thought.

_'Chére,'_ He whispered.

She shook her head, her face deep in thought. "Debris, _what_?" The hit must've scrambled her memories. She didn't remember much besides seeing stars during the attack. It was all blank after that, a big gap in her memory and a headache. She rubbed her temple wearily. She didn't have any idea what they were talking about.

_"Hello?_" Kitty knocked on her head. "You got uppercutted by a sentinel, Rogue. That's why you're _in_ here?" Kurt examined the liquid bandaids on the cut over her eye.

"To be fair, I don't think I vould remember that,_ either_." He said, trying to imagine what it felt like. "It knocked your block off into the institute, broke part of the vall." He explained for her. Rogue shivered involuntarily as he tells her, fragments of memory coming to back.

"Yeah, after you rescued Remy and flipped a _sentinel over your head_ for attacking him." Kitty crossed her arms, satisfied she'd made her point. She wouldn't say they weren't dysfunctional, but there was still something there. They cared about each other, no matter how scared or stubborn they were being. Everyone saw that earlier. "You guys should at least, like, _talk_ to each other." She nudged gently.

Rogue shook her head, her mind preoccupied with the image of the cajun leaning over her, gazing down worriedly. His lips moving but she was still too in shock to hear. _'He had been there, he moved but he was the first person I saw when I woke up.'_ She leaned an arm on her knee, a frown on her face. "Remy and I shouldn-" She froze when she saw him standing in the door way. Against better judgement, he had to see her.

When their lives were in danger, things were like before. But now, she'd iced over. She stood, ready to flee as he stood still. "Wanted to see how ya are, _chére."_ She swallowed hard, Kurt grabbing Kitty.

"Uh, excuse us!" In a flash, they disappeared.

"Bastards..." Rogue muttered under her breath. She looked at anything she could, anything but the man's eyes. He didn't expect a lot of eye contact, he'd expected the awkwardness. He was glad for it, that meant she was feeling okay. "You were there, weren't you..." She looked into his eyes. "When I woke up." He blinked, letting his silence answer for him. "Thank you."

He nodded. "I owed you, ya saved Remy couple seconds before." Another silence. How could they risk their lives in battle, but can't talk in person. He had a million things he wanted to say, but nothing would come out. "_Rogue-_" When he called for her, she teleported away to avoid the conversation. He stared at the bed in surprise and shock. After a while, it didn't bother him. What he saw was something worth fighting for, he would convince her again.

* * *

The psychic stared at the pages of the worn book, his long hair spilling over his shoulder. He finally had it, the future in his hands. And he read that a mutant child called Rogue would destroy him. He read his death in the pages of Destiny's writing. And as he checked the other words, they all seemed to have come true. '_You can use this diary to make that future happen, or..._' He clutched a fist._ 'Prevent it. I will not die, with this book, I will become destiny.'_

He stood, closing his eyes and peering in telepathically to the Xavier Institute. When he spotted Psylocke, he smiled. She could prove to be very useful with impressive psychic abilities of her own. It wouldn't take much to distract them, and what better way than by fighting amongst themselves? He would send the new telepath after Jean's precious Scott.

"The telepaths' battle and I take her out when nobody's watching." Then, his future would be secure. The girl's powers sounded interesting, but he wondered how she was supposed to kill him. _'She didn't even have powers when I appeared_.' He remembered. He should've claimed her life then. But he would correct his mistake now.

He focused his energy, visualizing Betsy in his mind.

* * *

"She's riveting, Scott. You should get her talking in the Danger Room..." Scott smiled sheepishly at the doctor, carrying a massive tower of books to his lab. If he didn't believe in Hank's character more than almost anyone else's, he would've believed he was sweet on the telepath. She was as attractive as she was skilled with her powers. But he was fascinated and intrigued by her intellect, her natural use of of gifts. She was someone he found interesting.

The younger mutant rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. She sounded amazing when she wasn't making out with Remy all over the campus grounds. And he already knew how Jean would feel about him spending time around the other psychic. He had to wonder how she was taking the other adult, female telepath in the mansion.

"Sounds... Nice, Hank." He commented helplessly, hoping to change the subject. He dare not even think of the woman. He couldn't prove it, and he wouldn't bring it up to anyone. Not even Kurt and Rogue. Sometimes, as she made out with Remy he swore she stared at_ him._ He was good at opening and blocking his mind to telepaths, so he found himself always keeping his mind blocked around her to avoid issues.

It only seemed to turn her on more, and not even Scott could protect his mind always. Logan was back to lighting incense constantly, but not for the reasons one would think. The girl set on fire whenever she was in the same _room_ as Scott. Whether he was with Jean. Whether she was kissing Gambit or not. It was bizarre and disconcerting, and he knew damn well what would happen if Jean sensed her territory being stepped on.

She was a social butterfly, but she had way more in common with Logan than anyone could imagine. It wouldn't be a pretty sight, and if it came to that he didn't want to be around.

The X-Men's leader made a b-line for the Danger Room, feeling like a good exercise would clear his head. Unfortunately, the aforementioned telepath was just leaving the exercise area. She was wearing a one piece bikini and moisture dripped from her skin. It was purple, like her hair. Scott struggled not look at her tight, tan skin covered in water. She was a gorgeous woman, but there was only one Jean Grey.

"Ah... Betsy," He shuffled aside and waited for her to pass so he could breathe again. She gazed at him with feline like eyes, like a cat with it's prey. She wasn't going anywhere. She stepped forward and his back was flat against the wall. The towel did little to cover her modestly. She gazed up at him with an expression he was forced to ignore.

_"Summers_." She breathed like a cat in heat. She moved closer and he jerked to the side, heading straight to the hallway. An image of the British woman slowly opening up her towel bombards Scott's mind. And anybody nearby. The Professor, Ororo, Rogue, Remy, Logan to name a few, all saw the same image and who it was directed to. And so did Jean.

Scott jerked so much in surprise his head bounced into the wall. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling around for his shades. "D-Damn..." He exclaimed, stooping and feeling around like Velma. Betsy chuckled, bending down slowly and grabbing the glasses, her fingers grabbing Scott's. He jerked away like her hand was burning hot, staring at her in disbelief. "Look, _Betsy_-"

"I like to be called Psylocke." She interrupted, staring into his eyes. "On the field." She sent one of her telepathic butterflies to him and he cried, trying to smack it away. "In _bed_." What was it about him? He drove psychics wild. He remembered the White Queen, Emma Frost who ran her own mutant school in Boston. Let's just say they were lucky to leave that altercation with the mansion in tact.

He frowned as her energy faded. She was staring at something above him. He turned to see Jean, standing in her trademark purple shirt and khaki pants. And a fierce scowl on her face. Scott exhaled piteously. "_Jean,"_ Betsy stood, grinning as she dropped her towel.

"Ms. Grey." She said, her sneer hanging off her mouth. Jean visibly bristled, but her face went frighteningly even.

_"Psylocke._" She moved in front of Scott, who was watching them both very carefully. "_Are trying to incite a telepathic affair with Scott?_" She gave a rueful smile, her hair around her like flames. "_Think before you answer, we share a permanent, psychic rapport._" Betsy chuckled.

_'Uh, professor...'_

"A telepathic affair? Aw, what are you? _Twenty_? Twenty-one,_ tops_?" She gave an airy laugh. The heat could be felt emanating off of Jean as Betsy carried on, incised by Vargas' devious abilities. "I want Scott to run his fingers_ through_ my hair." The redhead's eyes went black. Logan could smell it. He had all of Jean's emotions catalogued by smell, and this was a dangerous one. She was about to lose it, and if she did, they were all in danger.

He hurried, tracking his nose to the increasing scent of firewood. Remy had wandered out, confused by the strange image he'd received of his friend and Scott. _'Crazy girl gonna make us homeless,_' He scrubbed a hand over his face, avoiding Rogue's face. She fell in line beside Logan as Kurt teleported beside them with Charles.

"Vhat's the matter?" He asked, his tail flicking anxiously. He did not receive the strange, telepathic message.

"Ah smelled somethin' burnin'..." Rogue said, her throat dry. She kept the image in her head to herself_. 'Remy sure knows how to pick 'em...'_ She thought, enraged that the psychic he picked up off the street was getting into it with Jean of all people. Psychics were kind of like their own race within a race. They could be extremely territorial, but at the same time have issues respecting boundaries. How could they when they can know everything? Everyday, Rogue was glad not to be one.

Logan nodded knowingly. "Yeah, we need to break that cat fight up before it happens." Images of the last time Jean lost control clouded his mind. _'This seems too... Deliberate. Something is bigger at work here._' He looked sniffing. "Danger Room hallway, Elf. Get us there." Everyone touched the blue mutant and held their breath as they were transported.

"I want to _feel_ his back twitch beneath my fingertips." Scott stood there, genuinely terrified of what Jean might do. _'How? Why me? Where is she getting this from? This is crazy?'_ She had barely spent a second from Remy or Hank's side. _'Why is she fixated on me!_' "I want to see him smile more than he does now." Jean's mouth twisted into an unbalanced sneer. "But_ no_, no telepathic affair."

"_Because you aren't capable of manipulating his mind. But not for lack of trying?"_ She pressed, out for blood now. Jean Grey would show Betsy Braddock what happened when she crossed the path of the Phoenix. Scott was hanging on to one of his girlfriend's arms, trying to hold her alter ego back. The Phoenix was great for missions, life and death situations, and saving people. But it would be very bad if she laid into Psylocke that way. _'We might end up with a body,_' He thought seriously, knowing he couldn't allow Jean.

The purple haired psychic turned to Scott with a sultry smirk._ "Scott_, did you like what crossed your mind?" Flames crossed Jean, her uniform changing before their eyes. Betsy didn't seem impressed, but it got Scott every time. He was always shocked by how powerful she was. Jean was a beacon of green as she looked down on the other mutant.

"I-I don't know what you _mean_, Betsy." He answered, his face burning red despite the dire situation.

"_Did you try to initiate a psychic affair with Scott?"_ She asked one more time. She had had enough when the other psychic turned away from her. _"Don't you turn your back on me!"_ She shouted. Betsy turned and then lunged for Jean, causing Scott to let out a shriek. His heart through his throat as he watched her be punctured.

_"JEAN,"_ He watched, his mouth agape as Psylocke plunged a glowing, magenta knife into Jean's throat.

"Ask him _yourself."_ The telepathic ninja sneered, her forehead growing pink. Anyone else would've been a goner, but not Jean Grey. Not the Phoenix.

"NO," Scott screamed as he ran for her. A blinding, orange light propelled him back as Kurt and the others appeared. Another hole had already been blown in the training room as the X-Men looked on in horror. It was eerily reminiscent of when her powers surged the first time. But this time, there was a person behind it. A malevolent person unlike Jean, but somebody.

She chased after Psylocke with flames, but the other mutant didn't seem phased. For everything Jean hurled at her, Psylocke fired another psychic blast at her. They seemed locked in a powerful and terrifying stalemate that was destroying the basement. Tiles and metal flying. Pink, psychic energy bounced off the walls as everyone watched helplessly. Charles watched fearfully as they battled.

"They need to be stopped,_ now!_" He ordered, flinging his hand out. He knew the risks of Jean dealing with so much power for too long, he couldn't allow it to happen. '_I have to protect everyone here.'_ He frantically tried to enter both their minds. Jean's was normal, but becoming increasingly power hungry. It alarmed him, these blackouts were escalating. Even worse, there appeared that there was a presence in Betsy's mind._ 'Making her act erratically,'_ He reasoned. Jean wouldn't listen to that right now.

The butterfly on Betsy's forehead had swelled to the size of the wall as she stared hatefully at Jean. Flames grew behind her as she imagined blinking the mutant out of existence. "There's someone in Betsy's mind! Egging this whole confrontation on." Logan growled in the back of his throat as women tore at each other. Jean ripped the paneling out of the wall. _"Rogue,_" Charles looked at her with pleading eyes. "If you can absorb her..." Logan sent him a glowering look.

He felt guilty asking, especially after watching the hell it'd wracked on her mind and body. After specifically asking her to refrain from using her natural mutation unless left no choice. And now, he was asking her to hurt herself. But if Jean lost control of her abilities, there's no telling what could happen._ 'We can't let Jean go past a point of no return._' He thought, his fists clenched.

Remy watched in horror as Rogue dropped her gloves. "Betsy is a powerful psychic,_ chére. Sure_ you can handle dat?" He watched the battle with a weary look. She scoffed.

"Don' think I much have much of'a choice." She grimaced, knowing all too well that Jean's descent needed to be stopped. "Trust me, you don't want to see Jean get _any_ angrier." He was silent because he couldn't argue that. The way she was acting already made him want to go to church. He watched the flames rise behind the psychic and he pulled his collar.

"She get _angrier_?" He demanded incredulously. Rogue didn't answer, she was busy staring up at Betsy. The image she had sent to Scott was burned into her mind's eye. Her glorious, perfect, touchable body. She doubted very many people would look at her naked body without fear. Even after she'd moved on and gotten over Scott, the universe was still throwing it in her face. That anyone _besides_ her could have him. Rogue pulled the hood of her dark green tunic up before taking to the sky, gloveless.

She sailed for her at mach speed, but she found the air empty. _'Wha?'_ Psylocke could use her vast telepathy to teleport some how. Rogue didn't have time to think about it, she needed a way to move as quick as Betsy was able to. She sailed through the air, chasing frantically after her. She wasn't paying Rogue any mind, Vargas' impulses were driving her after Jean. Rogue stretched with all her might. The telepath was always one step ahead of her, slashing furiously at Jean with her psychic knife.

Jean's pyrokinesis was so hot, it was melting metal walls and floors. She didn't seem anymore hurt by Betsy's attacks, she was just becoming more enraged. Rogue launched herself with all her might, but again, she missed. Logan watched the girl dart all over the room, annoying Jean like a gnat. "She's too _fast,_" He growled as he watched. "I think whoever's controlling her is ramping up her powers." He explained, shaking his head. He would've sensed this.

When she teleported near the ground, he lunged for her. She sailed in the air and shot a large, bright telekinetic blast at him. It send him crashing into the floor, leaving a dent in the ground as the gash in his chest healed. "Logan!" Rogue screamed. She turned to face Jean, who Scott was hopelessly calling out to, hoping to ground her. She was barely recognizable. This was often a figure of Rogue's nightmares, all of theirs.

Her dance with Cerebro and the professor had changed things. She was still the same kind, powerful, noble Jean. But sometimes, she wasn't. Betsy had pushed her to her limits. Any further, and she wouldn't be Jean. Her skin was ashen, her pupils almost her whole eye. Her hair floated upwards, like it had a soul of it's own. They billowed like flames, trying to smash Betsy with her telekinesis.

_'I can't catch her,'_ Rogue realized futilely. Kurt tried to predict her teleportation pattern but it was erratic. She kicked straight up, sending him flying nearly into the professor. _'Think Rogue.'_ Remy leapt and threw some cards at his friend, but she exploded all of them prematurely. Rogue shut her eyes and focused. She did something she never did, she didn't think of another ability. She thought of her _own_, her own, organic memories.

She felt a weird power come over her. _'Focus, Rogue.'_ She looked at Betsy, thrashing wildly in the air like a banshee. Jean cried out, tears leaking down her eyes. She was trying to hard to keep it together, not to lose it. When Rogue began to glow with a green light, Logan yanked Kurt and Remy back. Hank and the professor had had a hypothesis, but this confirmed everything.

Rogue's power could evolve to extend beyond touch. It could be enacted like a force field, draining anyone in a certain radius. They watched as the green energy washed over the psychic, causing her to scream out in pain. Rogue grunted with the effort, trying to adjust to absorbing someone while being across the room. '_This feels... Wrong.'_ She thought in a daze. With a scream, Betsy plummeted to the ground. Remy flipped in the air and caught her, peering worriedly into her face.

"_Merde,_ girl." He sighed.

Rogue fell to one knee, rubbing her head. "Ah think she'll be okay when she wakes up." She informed everyone, eyeing Jean wearily. She wasn't any less riled up. The flames were spreading, her eye still on Betsy.

_"It isn't over because she isn't standing_." Jean informed, clenching a fist. Reluctantly, Rogue clutched hers and Jean began to wail. Scott watched, hating to see her in pain. See her not be herself. Whatever Jean turned into, it was not her. Nobody could convince him it was. It reminded him of when Mesmero had controlled her to get Apocalypse' artifacts. Rogue had to siphon her off then, too.

Jean fought Rogue's power until the end, lowering to the ground with a wrathful glare. _"Stop it_," She hissed, her dark eyes anchored on Rogue.

"Ah'm_ sorry_, Jean." Rogue watched tearfully until she collapsed into Scott's arms with a groan. He sighed, these moments terrified him. He sent Rogue a grateful look as she cradled her head.

"So_ ho_t," She whispered, tears streaming down her face. She looked around, terrified. "Power... _So much_..." Logan walked over apologetically, his face screwed up in anguish. He jabbed Rogue in the stomach quickly, causing Remy to scream out in anger, Betsy in his arms. For moment he was convinced the mans claws were out, and he almost flew into a rage.

"HEY," He snapped as Rogue collapsed into Logan's arms.

"Jean's telepathy and telekinesis too powerful for her, when she absorbs it, her psych tries to take over." He cast a glum look at the girl in his hands. She had begged him to subdue her anyway he had to if she blacked out, and she'd asked him to do worse if she was beyond help. Still, it left the man guilty for a long time. The hard look on Remy's face fades when he notices his expression. It's one he relates to. "Let's get them all checked out by Hank." He sighed, starting towards the infirmary.

* * *

Betsy hugged herself, her head throbbed and she was embarrassed by everything Remy told her in the infirmary. He sat by her meekly. "Someone was in ya head,_ fille._" He flashed her a serious face with his red and black eyes. "An' if they can do dat, dey _powerful._" His face soured when he remembered Vargas. How he felt when he was convinced Rogue had been killed by a blast. "Remy might even know who did dis." He said glumly.

Betsy didn't want to gear up to fight anybody. She was embarrassed, so much so she wanted to die. She prided herself on her skills and she lost to both Jean Grey_ and_ Rogue, who wasn't even a telepath. Not naturally. Secondly, she broadcast herself coming on to Scott to multiple people. She couldn't even understand why someone made her do that. How was she ever going to consider herself an X-Man?

When she leaned her head in her head he reached out for her with a comforting touch. "Dese people have every _right_ to despise me, an' Remy still here." He told her. "Ya be fine, _chére._" She huffed, pulling away from his touch.

"You don't have to..." She shook her head in frustration. "You're not my boyfriend, or something. You don't have to look after me." She wiped at her eyes, her face steeling over. "I can take care of myself, always have. You and the _skunk._.. It's quite obvious." He said nothing, he wasn't going to discuss Rogue with her anymore.

"Dat may it be," He stared into her eyes. "Still _care_ about ya, _fille._ An' I'm lettin' ya know I'm_ here._ And ya not alone." She watched with a small smile as he disappeared to be somewhere else in the mansion. She gasped when Hank bustled in the room, happy to see that she was awake.

"Ah, Ms. Braddock. I really hope you're feeling better now that your mind is not occupied?" She nodded, laying a hand on his furry arm.

"I'm glad you came back, Dr. McCoy. I wanted... I wanted to say_ goodbye_." He frowned at her.

"No, no Betsy. Don't think-" He huffed, already feeling exasperated for trying to explain. "Storm, the professor... Apocalypse turned them into his horsemen until they were rescued. Rogue was controlled and used to bring Apocalypse back to life, against her will." He set a glass of water down on the table beside her. "You are sadly not the first to experience mind control, here. It really will be okay." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "If anything, it's a rite of passage as an X-Man." They both laughed at that.

"What have I gotten_ into_ with you people?"

* * *

"Somebody, please explain why I have a migraine," Jean hissed, the lights flickering as she came to. Scott stood from his seat and was close by her side. There was a fiercely concerned look on his face.

"Hey, take it _easy._ You pushed it a little far, today." When her vision adjusted, the psychic saw Rogue sitting and looking concerned in a chair. She rubbed her head and looked up at Scott with a smile.

"Over do it in the Danger Room?" Scott and Rogue exchanged a glance, and she frowned.

_"Okay_, I'm a psychic. You guys are freaking me out." Scott leaned a hand on her shoulder.

"Something, uh... Something happened earlier. The institute was compromised, we don't know how bad yet." Jean sat up right quickly, her eyes alert.

"What? _How?_" Rogue squirmed uncomfortably.

"Psylocke was bein' controlled. The professor sensed a presence in her mind, Ah had to drain her to make it go away." The redhead frowned when she didn't recall any of this.

"Oh my gosh, did we get in a _fight?_" Scott shifted on his feet.

"She- She came on to me, telepathically." He admitted, his jaw clenched. "You confronted her, and you both started fighting..." He looked like a dog who'd gotten in the trash, even though he'd done nothing.

"And I absorbed you both." Rogue finished grimly. Jean nodded slowly, struggling to let it all sink in. Scott changed the subject quickly, but her mind was already working.

"But, Jean you don't know how." He looked to Rogue in surprise. "She didn't _touch_ either of you." The telepath's eyes went doe wide.

"Wait, Rogue... That's big." She turned back to her boyfriend without missing a beat. "I sense that Psylocke is a pretty capable telepath. So, the psychic who controlled _her_ is skilled. Powerful." Jean continued, thinking out loud. "I'm thinking,_ Vargas._" Rogue's skin paled ten shades. She'd been thinking it too, from the moment she knew that Betsy was being controlled. But she dared not say it. She'd hope they'd never run into him again.

Scott pressed his mouth into a grim line. "I don't like this." He announced_. 'I don't want Jean involved in anything pushing her limits.'_ His attention turned to his short haired teammate._ 'But he's coming after you.'_

"Me either." Jean agreed. Something was going on, and the fight had been exactly what somebody wanted. 'But the question remains, who?' She sighed, trying to ignore the sense of impending doom. "Maybe that new talent will come in handy, Rogue." She baulked immediately.

"Please, don't count on me to use it." She stared at her gloved hands._ 'I don't know what I did. What if... I can't control it at all, someday? I'll have to be alone, for everyone's safety.'_ The thought alone killed her. She would die before it ever came to that, she promised herself.

* * *

"I'm sorry." The violet haired mutant didn't find it hard to say. She could have an attitude, and she didn't necessarily respect relationships, but she had acted completely outside of herself. In a way she never considered possible, as a psychic. She was sorry for a lot of reasons, and Jean understood exactly how she felt. Like _she_ felt when Mesmero controlled her.

"Listen," Jean began. "Most of the X-Men had one part or another in Apocalypse being resurrected because of mind control." She explained. "If anyone understands, _it's us_." She gave a tired smile that Betsy returned.

"When we face Vargas," Her face hardened. "I want to _go_." Jean nodded, unsure of what else to do or say. She could tell that the psychic had been deeply humiliated and affected.

"From what I've seen, we'll need the help." Scott's jaw clenched. "When that time comes,_ Gambit_ should come too." Betsy nodded, her face serious.

"I don't know if we should go out looking for him..." The redhead didn't find herself often scared, but as she thought of this mutant's capabilities she was becoming worried. She hated the feeling, it was so oppressive. "He's _threatened_ some of our lives, he's in possession of diaries that tell the future..." She looked around. "If we go for him, we need to be_ ready_."

Betsy nodded in agreement. "She's right. We don't know what we're dealing with." Scott crossed broad arms. His mind hadn't drifted to Vargas in a while. He tenses when he remembers Vargas slamming Jean across the room. Jean, of all people. Without another word, he headed inside to get into the Danger Room to prepare.

* * *

Remy and Laura, formerly known as X-23, stood in silence on the mansion roof. The sun was setting, there was nothing to say. They spent a lot of time silent together. When Remy was around the mini Wolverine, he felt like his brain slowed down. Like he could actually be silent. As Betsy took care to always point out, he was never quiet. The perceptive girl in all black followed his stare to Rogue. Beside her was Logan, someone the girl rarely let out of her sight.

The southern man said nothing, his stare trapped on her. She had just flown to sit next to the mutant after going on a fly to clear her head. He sighed, thinking about how she always smelled of magnolias, even on the battlefield. He watched as they laughed together.

"Are you gonna talk to her? Or just keep staring at her." He turned to the younger mutant in surprise.

_"Minou-"_

"Ever since the sentinel attack. You just go silent and stare." He pressed his mouth shut, he couldn't deny that. Ever since Rogue disappeared he'd been afraid to approach her. He wanted to, desperately, but he had to respect her boundaries. She had plenty of reasons to be shy about him. The math looked so right but the answer kept coming out wrong, Remy had no idea how.

"Ya a _lil_ too young to understand," He muttered, his hands jammed in his pockets. "Tis' complicated." Laura snorted.

"Because you_ make_ it complicated." He smirked at her. The girl was too sharp for her own good, he loved that about her. "You take a long time, a lot of words to say_ nothing_." She turned, watching Logan and Rogue interact. "I saw a few words, but I say more than you _ever_ say." She disappeared into the depths of the institute, leaving him on the roof alone.

Logan sat with Rogue in companionable silence. The girl often seemed lost in her thoughts, but he was starting to believe she'd get better. That helped him relax and feel like the mutant he used to be, even if danger lurked around the corner. "Have you ever..." Rogue bit her lip. She knew Logan was a well of knowledge and wisdom just from how long he'd been around. But she didn't want to trigger sad memories, she knew all about that.

"Spit it out," He followed impatiently. She rarely asked him questions, it was something she needed to ask.

"Have you ever been drawn to someone you think you need to stay away from?" Rogue, freshly twenty, had never asked Logan a question of the sort. He stared at her for a long moment before chuckling. He'd never say, but he couldn't help but see the irony between he and Jean. That was the exact definition.

"_Millennials_," He snarled. "So cute, think the world only been around _thirteen years_..." He took a swig of beer. "Yes, Stripes. I have." He tossed her a cautious glance. "This about _Gumbo_..." She looked at her hands in response. "Only you and_ him_ will know when is when. To continue, or to stop. What's really _what._ I know it's all confusin', Stripes. But nobody can tell you." She sighed.

"It's hard to know anything definitively with this mug." She said, gesturing to her head. He nodded sympathetically, thinking about the chaos she dealt with daily.

"Don't underestimate yourself. When you know, you'll know. It's very clear," He cleared his throat awkwardly. "That you guys care about each other..." She opened her mouth to protest. "Ya swung a _sentinel_ over your head, Kid." She clamped it shut. "Never seen ya do that before." Rogue chuckled.

"Since when are _you_ the one tryna push us together?" She felt his forehead with a gloved hand. "Been hanging out with Kitty too much." He barked out a laugh.

"Things change, Rogue. _People_ most of all." He looked at her sadly. _"I've_ changed. From something the professor wouldn't even let through the door to-"

"The softest one of us all?" He growled at the girl, but there was a smile on his face.

"Wouldn't go that far. But I used to be a_ killer_, Rogue." In an instant, his expression is scarred. "No matter _what_ I do, how long I teach here... I don't think my ledger ever won't be red." Rogue bowed her head solemnly. She knew it was true, but she never thought of him as a killer. It didn't matter what happened. "But what I want you to take away from this is people_ can_ change. Jus', sort our your feelings and you make that decision. As long as it's what you want," He stood. "You can't make the wrong decision."

The wind tussled between them and he took off. Rogue remained, sitting silently and thinking about what he'd said. Surprisingly wise, as usual. She hardly noticed when Remy approached at nightfall. She didn't flee and he didn't advance right away, they just looked at each other. Was love at first sight real? Was it just a charm? Were they really magnets? Were they destined to keep meeting over, and over again?

He moved closer and Rogue stood, but she didn't look scared. Not like she did before. When Remy felt close enough, he spoke. "Remy know he made a lot of mistakes." Rogue's eyes trailed down the magenta armor on his chest. "But he's not gonna give up, because t'ings are hard. Or bad." He set his jaw seriously, hoping she wasn't repulsed by him. "Rogue, you need to know dat."

"Ah've made mistakes too." She said, studying his face. His hands. The crook of his neck. "Ah'm just so... Confused." Remy frowned. "Not about you, but about _everythin'_ else." She held herself and looked away. He approached her slowly, wrapping his hands around her.

"Remy be here," He told her softly. "Til ya sort it out." She was hesitant to believe his promise of sticking around, but she wanted to. She didn't get a chance to respond. When he saw the portal appear behind her he tugged furiously, half of his deck in his hands. Vargas appeared, his trench coat billowing. "Marie, go." He ordered, pointing behind them. "_GO,_"

She was frozen in fear, refusing to abandon him. Not like she did before. He wanted this fight, he would get it. Remy cursed in his head as the girl took a defensive stance beside him. Vargas only grinned, chuckling quietly to himself. "You are_ eager_, girl." His stare went elsewhere. "But you won't be my first." They both stared at him in horror, trying to contemplate what he meant.

With a scream, Rogue rocketed forward with her fist raised. The omega level psychic laughed as he revealed a golden longsword. _'Very well.'_


	9. First

Jean and Scott stood alone together, for a change. With all the craziness of the of the school as of late, moments alone were hard to come by. They were inheriting more responsibilities as they got older. It was a nice night, the students and faculty all seemed to be elsewhere. He stared down at her, in an a-line, crimson dress. He wasn't sure how she looked good in red with such fiery hair or his washed out vision, but she looked perfect. He knew so. She stood on her tip toes and pressed a kiss on his lips.

She jerked suddenly, grunting in pain. He pulled from her and watched her closely. "What is it?"

"_Nggggh_\- Scott," She looked fearfully into his glasses. "Something's_ here,_ something..." Dread filled the telepath. Something bad was happening, right now. Thundering footsteps were heard upstair, as if to elaborate what she'd said.

"But, don't you think some can-" Ororo's voice was heard upstairs.

_"No_," Logan barked back. "You and Hank, get the little ones somewhere_ safe_ and come back up to help. Hank, _too._ Jean," She ripped from Scott's arms, hovering to Logan quickly. "Contact all adults, and team members. Everyone else in the Danger Room." She nodded, worried, but knowing better than to ask questions now. When her objective was carried out, then she could ask.

'_X-Team, all adults besides Hank and Storm, outside. Now._' She turned back. "Scott, let's go." He nodded, his glasses reflecting back pink.

* * *

Remy reached out helplessly as Rogue took off, her face in a ferocious yell. The white scarf twirled around her neck waved like a ribbon, swinging wildly as she flew. She went after the mutant with all she could. She had been powerless the first time, she would show him that now, that was not the case. He moved faster than her eye could register, leaving her floating alone. The cajun scanned the lawn as his heart thumped in his chest. He strained his eyes to find the mutant. He reappeared behind her, causing Rogue to shoot into the sky.

_'Two can play that game,'_ She thought, imagining Magneto's son. In a flash of light, she disappeared. Vargas felt his skin go pale._ 'She's gaining control of her absorbed abilities.'_ He thought, clenching a shaking fist. Destiny's book said that shouldn't be happen for sometime, not until she was much older. A teacher. Time was deviating. _'She's wrong_?' With a scream, he was sent plummeting into the lawn, grass and soil kicked around him. Rogue froze, her fist still raised.

Remy stared in amazement, unaware of what the girl was truly capable of. "C'est _incroyable_..." Vargas was standing soon after, his eyes widened in disbelief.

_"You_-"

"Not the same lil' thing with no powers,_ huh?_" She smirked, glad this was playing out the way she'd hoped. "Bully. Ya shoulda killed me, _then._" She flew forward again, but things went differently. His face twisted into a sneer, Vargas shoved his fingers out, catching the girl in-between the collarbones. But it was not the touch that injured her. The world went black and white for her. Remy went numb as Rogue froze, her grey eyes wide.

The telepath used his massive powers to ignite _all_ of Rogue's nerve endings. Into excruciating pain. He knit his brow in focus, sending chaos over Rogue's body. He became the essence of pain as he stared, unflinchingly, in her eyes. "You are_ impressive,_ as I knew you would be." He smiled as she was sent sprawling, leaving a crater in the grass. She kicked, her hands slapping and clutching clumps of grass in a fit. He clutched his fist and she erupted into a hair raising scream.

"ROGUE," Remy leapt in the air, his staff high above him, but all Vargas did was raise his hand. He landed, his head colliding hard with the ground. His bit his tongue on impact, moaning in pain. He was on his feet quick, watching helplessly as Rogue thrashed in pain. Her mouth was open now, in a silent scream, but not a sound came out. "_Wha-_" He turned as Vargas drew a weapon. The sound of steel rang out around them. '_Son of'a bitch-'_

Rogue's heart hammered as her fingers began to tingle, a numbness spreading throughout her body. _'I'm dying,'_ She thought, pain ricocheting throughout every part of her.

"I set off all of her nerve endings in a horrible pain." Remy ran to her side in an instant, screaming. Vargas silently held his sword. She flailed, her face frozen in a frame of fear that would haunt the man after this. He grabbed her head and tried to steady her. "She's probably going into shock right now." He told him casually as he walked over. _'No,'_ Remy thought helplessly._ 'Rogue.'_ "But you will go _down,_ Rogue. Go down as the one who _marke_d me." A thin line of blood had spread down is flawless cheek. Rogue gasped, Remy's hand clasped on her shoulder. Her body wouldn't cooperate, Vargas' attack had scrambled the connections of her brain._ 'Help,_' She thought in agony.

The psychic held the sword high in the air. "To Valhalla."

_"NON,_" Remy screamed. He grabbed his staff, ready to defend her no matter what.

* * *

Kitty and Logan hit the lawn first, they could just see the glint of silver in the distance. When he saw her hesitate slightly, he shoved the girl back and tore out his claws, running wildly. Jean and Scott did the same with the rest of the X-Men behind them. Kurt and Amara held on to Bobby as he created an ice ramp across the front lawn. Warren took to the air, his wings pumping to get him to the courtyard in time. Whatever was going on, it wasn't good. They could see in the distance that Rogue was down.

Vargas raised his sword high, multiple people screaming when he did so. On impulse, Remy jabbed his staff upwards, a scream escaping his throat. The metal pierced the telepath's shoulder, surprising him. Then, it angered him._ 'How dare he-'_ Rogue watched, trying to get her broken body to move. Breathe, _anything._ In a second, the psychic changed the trajectory of his sword. It pierced the New Orleans native clean through. He coughed, blood splattering everywhere as he contemplated charging the weapon.

_'No.'_ Rogue thought, twitching in the grass. Unable to move her body._ 'Remy...'_ He didn't take his eyes off of the mutant, his staff shoved stubbornly in his shoulder. "Regret that?" He questioned, not even acknowledging his wound as painful. _'Kill him...' T_he cajun thought. Remy pushed with all his might, trying to injure the mighty mutant further._ 'Gotta protect her, somehow.'_

An entire stone fountain hurdled into Vargas, shattering into fine dust all over. He narrowed his eyes, seeing the team advancing on him in the distance. Rogue was still down, and the cajun was going white with blood loss. Jean was advancing fast in the sky, Warren beside her. Jean lifted a bench next, her face pinched with concentration and rage. A bright, blue light enveloped Vargas. "Everybody," Jean called out. "Hang-" After, the X-Men rushing towards him were all sent flying, crashing hard into the ground. One by one, the littered the campus lawn.

Logan shot to his feet first, not deterred in the slightest. Remy reeked of blood, if he lost much more he was dead. Rogue was still on the ground, almost scaring him more. Because if she could, she'd be tearing into Vargas _herself_. Nothing would be able to stop her from trying to kill him. As he grew closer he could see she was covered in sweat, her eyes open and seeing everything. He placed his hands on her helplessly, dark eyes assessing the situation.

When he established her heart was beating, he pivoted and jumped for Vargas, his claws extended. He swiped furiously, an attack that would've killed many others. The sword slashed, leaving a long gash across Logan's chest. He let out bark of pain, his hand covering the wound instinctually. He was sent staggering back and waiting impatiently for the wound to heal._ 'He's a real bastard,'_ He thought, imagining how quickly he'd taken Rogue down. "Hang on Gumbo," Logan instructed as his wounds disappeared.

He tossed a concerned look to Remy, who was still bleeding profusely, leaning helplessly on an elbow. Only Logan had risen from Vargas' assault. It had been unexpectedly powerful, and his healing factor had come in useful. The former Acolyte was still bleeding to death, Logan didn't need to use his eyes to know that. _'Kids dyin','_ He thought glumly, but he knew the psychic wouldn't allow him to help. The sky was covered in clouds, casting a darkness over everything.

The rain soon followed, the thunder shaking the ground. Lightning clapped right beside Vargas, Ororo hovering majestically in the air. Her silver hair waved wildly as the wind blew. "Next time, I will _not_ miss." The mutant smiled at her as Hank and Betsy ran over as fast as they could. The former was covered in a pink hue, glowing softly in the rain. There was a crazed look in her eyes.

"You are _also_ quite extraordinary." Vargas bowed slightly before clutching a fist. Ororo gave a horrible scream, it made the short man on the ground's skin crawl. She fought Vargas' telepathic attack furiously, but it was no use. She fell from the sky and into Hank's arms. He set her down as gently as he could, his eyes anchored on the powerful mutant. He had a terrible feeling, just awful. Things were out of control, something bad was going to happen.

_'Hank? Nobody is responding to my mental conference? I'm coming out!'_ The blue mutant looked around him, at children at allies laying strewn on the ground. Rogue reduced to trembling on the ground, Remy beside her covered in his blood. Logan getting himself torn into repeatedly. He shook his head violently, unsure who needed help the most.

_'No,'_ Hank shot back instantly, his eyes growing wide in fear. '_You mustn't come out here!'_ Anxiety bloomed in the telepath's stomach. If he could've stood, he would.

_'Hank, what's happening? You must tell me-'_

_'You must let us handle it. You must remain, in case worst comes to worst... For the New Recruits!'_ Charles regrets not following the team out there. But he senses Vargas, and he knows that there is nothing he can do that would hurt him. _'How can I make such a decision?'_

Hank dropped by Remy, pushing giant hands over his leaking wound. "Hang_ on_, Remy." He told him, looking around. "I'm gonna help you." He grabbed Hank's arm tight, a fearful look in his eye.

"H_-Han_-"

"Don't speak." The doctor snapped, his jaw clenched. His eyes went to Rogue and he frowned. Betsy landed in front of them in an indigo, high cut warsuit on. Her violet hair swept over her shoulder. She placed her piercing glare on Vargas._ "Logan,"_ The tone of Hank's voice took the man's attention. "Check on _Rogue._" He instructed, not taking his eyes of Remy. Betsy stood forward and Logan ran behind her, his claws already retracted. Hank did his best to dress Remy in the grass. "I think she's going into shock, I don't know what he's done to her."

She gasped as Logan braced her, feeling over her X-Suit for injuries. He didn't see any physical ones, but she looked like she'd had the worst fight of her life. _"Rem-_" She tried through clenched teeth.

_"Shh_, darlin'. Hanks workin' on him." He looked into her eyes, seeing how much pain she was in and how hard it was for her to even speak.

Betsy moved carefully, deliberately around the other telepath. None of the X-Men had risen, she would need to do this herself. And fast. "So_, you_ are the one who entered my mind." She smiled, a rueful smile. Vargas could see how in control of her body she was. Every movement was lethal, calculated. And she did not seem afraid of him. Not one bit. A grin slid over his features.

_"You..._" He breathed. He forgot Rogue for a moment, her memory eclipsed by the beautiful and strong psychic before him. The only thing higher than her cheekbones was the v-cut suit she was wearing. He watched with intrigue as she revealed a sword as well. "You're perfect. You're the one. My _first._" She didn't pay attention to any of his words. She had none to say.

_"Bets_y," Hank cried out. He shook his head, tears glittering in his eyes. They both knew she wouldn't walk away from this. If Jean had been bested... "Take Remy and run,_ I'll_ hold him off!" He needed to fight. He was always hanging back, in his lab and the infirmary. She smiled at him.

"That won't _do_, Dr. McCoy."_ 'They need you.'_ She turned back to Vargas and glowered, pointing her sword to his face. "I need you to watch after him. _You,_" She pointed her sword. "Time to die."

"You X-Men..." He began to walk, making Logan growl. "You are creatures of_ courage_. You especially, Ms. Braddock." Rogue twitched furiously in Logan's hands, trying to force her body to work despite being numb._ 'I have to fight,' _She coughed, collapsing on her forearms when she tried to sit up.

"Whoa, Rogue._ Easy,_ we don't know what he did to you." His grip on her was tight as he watched the psychic in front of them. She couldn't explain what he'd done, how powerful he was. What he'd do to them. She looked up, shaking. '_She's gonna die...'_ She thought in despair, curling her fists weakly.

_"No..._" Remy watched from underneath Hank. He was fading in and out of consciousness, doing all he could to keep an eye on Rogue and Betsy._ 'Get up, loser...'_ He though angrily. '_Gotta help them...'_ He sputtered, more blood leaking out of his mouth when he tried to move. Hank ushered him down when he tried to sit up, whimpering.

"_Bet...Tsy_..." He felt Hank's hand grip his shoulder. Vargas continued, sneering.

"You have chosen for yourself a single honor." He announced, his Spanish accent strong. "There is a phrase in bullfighting, that exquisitely describes the final moment in the ring between the bull, and the matador." He pointed his sword at the woman but she didn't flinch. "Which one are_ you,_ Betsy?" Logan stood, refusing to watch her go against him alone.

"Aw,_ c'mon_, Psylocke. In this instance, it ain't ladies first." He drew his claws, his eyes locked with the spaniard. "Let's dance." He insisted, thinking about Rogue in pain. He scraped the hard metal of his claws together.

"Protect Gambit and the others." She insisted, her face hard. "I got this, psychic to psychic." If Vargas became anymore excited he may get aroused.

"X-Men don't let other X-Men die." He insisted in a gravelly voice. "Not_ alone_, anyways." She chuckled to herself.

"If I do this right," Her hand was enveloped in pink energy. "I won't _need_ help." Vargas clapped his hands slowly.

"That final moment between us. _La suerte de matadar_." Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing as he raised his sword again, glinting with Gambit's blood. Betsy curled a slender hand. '_I'll kill him for this_.' She promised. Betsy didn't have many things, but she called Remy a friend. She had to make him pay, it was up to her and her alone. She jumped when Logan threw himself forward like a torpedo.

The smack his body made was deafening, making Rogue sit up despite the great strain. _'No,'_ She thought. Logan made a second crater in the ground and he did not stir. Before Hank could caution her not to, she flew forward shouting in rage. With a wave, Rogue was sent crashing into the institute. Vargas was focused on Psylocke as she circled around him.

The hand on her blade was perfectly steady, calculating every move. _'I have to make this count.'_

_"Betsy._.." She didn't turn to Remy, but she heard him. Faintly. "Don' _die_." She smiled.

"It's time for your dance." Vargas flushed his cape behind them. He was like a matador. Hank looked around, nobody stirred.

"Betsy_, please."_ She flew, her entire body enveloped by a blinding, magenta light. Vargas smiled, not moving an inch as her telepathic energy assaulted him. A thin, psychic shield protected him from the attack. Betsy wasn't phased by that, her hand was gripping her katana. She brought her sword up in a scarily fast motion, clashing with the other mutant's broad sword.

Her katana bounced off, but she swung again, screaming. Hank watched, knowing if he left Remy's side that he would bleed out. He yelled when Charles appeared on the lawn against his wishes. _"Charles,"_ He sputtered angrily. He did not say a word, he tried immediately to enter Vargas' mind and aid Betsy._'No...'_ His abilities were gargantuan. Effortless. Inevitable._ 'This is impossible, NO-'_ He screamed instantly, flying from his chair into the ground.

_"NO," _Hank shouted, watching him easily defeated.

Vargas didn't even take his eyes of Psylocke in front of him. She swung with her other hand, enveloped in her telepathic essence. It collided with his forearm. He flashed a smile at her and she started to yowl, like a lion. She swung one last time with her katana. Vargas jabbed through Betsy in one, clean motion, faster than what could make sense. Even faster than her. Hank's breath stopped short as he watched the nightmarish scene unfold. Finally, as if a spell was lifted, the X-Men began to stir. One by one. Vargas flashed his teeth.

"I wanted to make sure she got the _attention_ she deserved." He pulled out a silk cloth and carefully wiped Betsy's blood off of it. "My _first._" He repeated. Betsy fell to one knee, groaning._ 'No... This can't be it...'_ Not when she had a found a place she wanted to be. She clutched her abdomen, the lawn filling with a hazy, pink colored light.

"NO," Hank cried, watching in horror as she died. _"STOP,_" He begged, tears streaming down his face. _'I can't watch!'_

"Your friend shall die a warrior's death." Vargas faced him and Remy. "You_ all_ will." Betsy wiped at her mouth, blood staining the back of her hand. She winced, pain wracking her whole body. Blood ran warm down her middle, on to her legs. She was dying, she knew it._ 'Make it count, Braddock._' She thought, clutching a fist in determination. In a flash of pink, she disappeared.

Both Remy and Hank looked around.

Vargas turned, but she reappeared above his head. Shrieking like a banshee, her telepathic energy flared around her. Bathed in pink, she sent a burst of energy that left a massive crater in the lawn. It was so strong it even destroyed Vargas' barrier. The smile was, at least, wiped off of the other psychic's place. '_Well done, Psylocke._' Smirking, he disappeared as the X-Men ran over. Despite Hank's screams, Remy was straining to sit up as Betsy collapsed to the ground. The grass stained red underneath her.

_"PSYLOCKE,_" He screamed, struggling weakly against Hank. _"NON,_" Hank held him, tears in his own eyes. "BETSY, PLEASE-"

Rogue flew unsteadily to Betsy's side as Scott fell beside her, Jean above him. He was holding the pressure on her wound frantically, but she could tell from Jean's face it was bad. Really bad._ 'No...'_ She thought, guilt swirling in her stomach. "He said he was after_ me_..." She mumbled as Betsy slowly went white. "_Why_ did he..."

"We're gonna_ help you_, Betsy." Scott insisted, her blood squelching in his hands. Jean blinked back tears, shocked at the sight of so much blood. It had been so quick, so _violent_. The woman tried to speak but he heard nothing. He leaned in quickly as she struggled to talk. He dropped his stare, then turned back at Rogue. Jean gasped slightly, but if she knew what she'd said she didn't say it.

"I..._ Understand_." He stood.

"Rogue,_ she_..."

"She's asked that you_ touch her."_ Jean said, her hands curled tight. Rogue looked at them both in shock. "She says she can't fight anymore, but that doesn't mean her abilities can't help this battle." He clenched his jaw._ 'Damn it, Vargas. Why?'_ Rogue looked at the dying woman, mute. Who was she not to honor a dying request? It was the last thing she wanted to do, but she moved forward and removed her glove. She stared unflinchingly into the woman's face. She had hated her, but now she just wish she'd live.

So many times Rogue thought she'd die, but she made it through. Betsy gave her a pained smile. _"Kick his ass, girl._" Rogue pushed her mouth in a grim line before she reached out as confidently as she could. She touched the psychic's sweaty face and she cried out weakly. Rogue hissed, but continued the touch until she went slack. Her face relaxed and she went limp against Scott. A swarm of pink memories flooded Rogue, overwhelming her. A single tear slipped past her eye.

Rogue stumbled away, standing in shock. She rubbed her hand for a long moment. When nobody said anything, she took to the sky, tears in her eyes. Jean and Scott hung their heads as Logan walked over. His claws shot out and he screamed, wishing Vargas was there to take his rage and fury on. "Damn him, damn him to _hell!"_ He shouted angrily, bristling like a cornered animal. "_I'll._.." Ororo placed a hand on his shoulder, tears in her eyes. His voice trailed off. He didn't know what he would do, that was the problem. He tore away from her and growled, the scent of death assaulting his nostrils.

Remy clutched on to Hank tight, the sobs filling his chest with bursts of pain._ "Non,_ LET me_ go_. Let ME get to'her!" He screamed, reaching for her in vain. This was a nightmare. A terrible dream. Anything, but the truth.

"I've got to fix_ you_," He insisted, tears glittering behind his eyes. "She _entrusted_ you to me. I won't let you die. Peter," The Russian mutant approached him solemnly, his eyes avoiding Betsy's body at all costs. Even newly dead, he couldn't bare to lay his eyes on something so morbid. Kitty was in Jubilee and Kurt's arms, crying. He made a cross over his broad shoulders and chest before lifting Remy reluctantly.

_"Forgive me,_" He asked, making his way towards the infirmary. Hank batted at his eyes before he steeled his face._ 'Now, I will take care of her.'_ It wasn't the first time Hank had buried a friend, but it wouldn't be easy, either. Jean let out a sob as he bent down, gingerly lifting Betsy as though she could feel his touch. Even in death she was gorgeous, posed like a sculpture. Scott held Jean tight, praying he never saw anything like that happen to her or his team.

"Thank you, Ms. Braddock." He said, forcing his face to stay even. "Your job is done."

* * *

_Both mutants were covered in moisture, staring into the sunset as the waves crashed into the beach. Betsy was in a tight, black one piece with a sheer, purple cloth tied around her waist. It didn't leave much to the imagination, Remy's imagination. Betsy was probably the most attractive woman he had ever met, but there was far more to her than that. She was probably one of the most interesting people he'd ever met, and a skilled fighter. _

_He loved being her partner in crime, whether it was helping others or to get into trouble themselves. He had always been alone. He had tried not to be with Rogue and look where it got him. _

_Being with her made him feel like he didn't have to be alone for the sake of others. "What are you running away from?" She leaned over the railing, her eye on the horizon. Remy thought about bullshitting, covering up his discomfort with charm. But he paused. He didn't have to throw his guard up, not with Betsy. _

_"What aren't I?" He squinted, trails of sweat dripping down his bare chest. He jammed his hands in his swimming trunk pockets, his expression troubled. "When Remy don' run, people around him get hurt." He smirked towards her. "So, ya bes' not be around too long." She rolled her eyes. _

_"You don't scare me, LeBeau." A bout of silence passed. _

_"What're you lookin' for, Betsy?" Now, it was her turn to seem wistful. She smiled, but it was sad. And he'd never seen her look sad. _

_"I don't know." She answered truthfully, her hands clasped together. "A tribe." She sent him a stunning look, one that made the New Orleans native blush (and he didn't blush often). _

_He smiled, thinking of Rogue's silvery hair. "Might know where ya can get on'o dose..." He gave her a noncommittal shrug. 'Sound like she got de X-Men bug.' He was not keen on returning, on seeing Rogue knowing she knew the truth. Knew everything. But, he had made friends with the psychic now. He had to at least recommend it. "Maybe da X-Men..." He suggested casually. _

_Her eyebrows raised in interest. _

Remy didn't utter a single word or exclaim in pain as Hank wrapped his wounds. _'I killed her... I brought her here.'_ Hank didn't speak either, strangely silent. Once Remy was taken care of and Rogue looked over, he would move on to preparing Betsy. That was enough to keep him quiet, his huge mind occupied. _'Betsy...'_ It was a name on both their minds It was so final. So sudden. As soon as she'd appeared to them, she was gone. And she held Vargas off from potentially taking more lives.

Hank sighed, and Remy knew he was mourning the woman as well. "Not dat long ago, she tol' Remy she'd be surprise if any at her funeral." He was talking like his teeth were clenched. Hank didn't smile but his eyes did.

"Well, I'm glad to be able to prove Ms. Braddock wrong." He patted the cajun's shoulder gently. "Get some rest, Remy. We almost lost you. Press this if you need more for pain." Remy nodded somberly, his eyes locked with the blue mutant's.

"T'ank you, Hank. Remy might just feel the pain for a while." He turned away wistfully, his eyes out the window._ 'Betsy... Why._' Hank sighed and exited the room, Rogue already waiting in the doorway of the infirmary. The expression on her face was hard, and her face was set. But her eyes were as soft as lamb's wool. Touched by the agony and despair Remy was so obviously going through, despite his attempts to hide it.

Although most of her personality traits and memories had faded, Rogue felt especially affected by her presence in her mind at all. She was _gone._ The girl had stood on her own, to Vargas. And now, she was gone. It wasn't right. Without thinking, she pushed forward into the room. Remy didn't face her, but she didn't blame him. He looked like shit, still pale from blood loss.

There were bags under his eyes, those eyes dim in reflection over Betsy. "Remy,_ Ah_..." She was in a black X-Suit and draped in someone's massive X hoodie Logan'd offered her. He tipped his face toward her, relieved to see her looking better. He remembered her thrashing on the ground and he feels another pain in his chest. She would fight another day, but he didn't want her to. If Betsy was gone, then she could be lost. _Any_ of them can.

_'Remy need to make dis right,'_ He thought, the knowledge of his involvement with the diaries haunting him. They led to Psylocke's death, she had more to do. He couldn't let Rogue die over them. _"Marie..."_ He all but whispered. He couldn't imagine living with Betsy's memories in her head_. 'She's her livin' will & testament...'_ He thought seriously_. 'She's brave.'_ They clasped hands, looking into each other's eyes.

"Remy, Ah'm _so sorry_." She shuddered, shaking her head. "Ah brought Vargas _here_, to all of us-" Remy sat up quickly, too quickly. He cursed in pain and shot back down, his chest throbbing. Rogue screamed in surprise and both Hank and Logan fled in, investigating. Hank was beside him quickly, silently checking his bandages and Logan hung back.

"Remy _alright_," He insisted, squirming. "Moved too fas'..." Hank nodded sympathetically beside him, making himself scarce when he found him fine. Rogue sighed, placing a shaking hand on his shoulder. "Rogue..." He spoke, his voice low. "Those diaries brought_ him i_nto yo life, _her_ life..." His expression darkened. _"Our_ lives. Y'had _nothin'_ to do wit' dat." He crossed his arms, his face pensive_. 'I should've protected you both from them, the minute Sinister asked.'_

She dropped her stare, tears brimming behind her eyes that she wouldn't dare spill._ "He-"_

"No." Remy bit out harshly. "None o'dis is yo_ fault."_ He looked at her, hard. "And ya not responsible fo' what happened to her." He looked away. "I am." Her face screwed into anguish. "Remy_ brought her_ here. And If I-" He was silenced by her gloved hand on his face.

"You almost died." She almost accused. Her eyes were hurt, scared._ 'Like Betsy did.' _He filled in. That made it real. He had a chance of dying, Rogue had a real chance of being killed by the psychopath. He placed his own hand over hers, his eyes shining intensely. "It could've been..._ Y-You... Kitty-"_ She gasped at the thought of him or her friends meeting Psylocke's fate. '_It-It's too much.'_

"You." He cut in, his heart flailing just at the thought.

"We_ have_ to do somethin'." Rogue said earnestly. His face became worried.

"He's after_ you,_" He cried, throwing his hands up. "You need t'stay_ safe, chére_. Away from conflict. From _danger_." Before she could respond, alarms sounded. Red and white lights flashed, and they both knew that that meant. Betsy's body wasn't even warm yet. It wasn't right. Rogue could see the hurt and anger in Remy's eyes, his white bandages stained with red. He shook his head. "Rogue, don't. She _jus'_ died!"

"Ah have to. Ah promised to fight _for_ her!"

"Dis is a trap," Remy warned with a point, suddenly breathless. "Vargas want_ you._ He's doin' things to draw ya out. Don't do it." She squeezed his hand apologetically before taking off. Remy listened to the thundering steps above him. Cursing, he yanked the IVs out of his arms and tried to stand. Rogue flew towards the Danger Room where everyone was convening.

"It's _Sinister,_" Jean reported. Her face was serious, worried. Scott frowned at Rogue when he noticed her, Logan stomping past him.

"Stripes," She shook her head. She recognized the expression on his face. Apologetic. Determined. Immovable.

_"No,_" She bit back.

"He's after _you_ because of your connection to Destiny." He set his jaw firmly. "We're _not_ giving him a free shot, I don't think for one second that he and Essex aren't working together." He told her, holding a finger next her face. His eyes softened slightly. "A woman is_ dead_, Rogue. What do you expect me to do?" He hated keeping her from doing what she was born to do, but an X-Man died. He would protect her at all costs.

"He cut her_ down_, Logan! Don't deny me the right to have her fight!" She screamed, tears leaking down her face. The late mutant's pink butterfly enveloped her forehead.

"He's fixated on you because of Destiny's diaries. It's way too dangerous, I'm sorry, Rogue." Scott crossed his arms as if that were some sort of finality. This decision had been made when Psylocke died. Her cheeks flushed almost in embarrassment as her teammates dipped their head in silent agreement.

"We'll take care of this." Jean added hastily, sensing the girl's mounting unrest. "We don't want to take any chances." She chewed her lip. '_We care about you, Rogue. We can't put you in danger.'_

_"Please,_ don't be upset." Kurt held his hands out. "Ve got this, take care of Gambit and Hank." He insisted, knowing they were both very affected by Betsy's sudden death, they all were. _'Any of us could go, at any time. Vhat's happening to us...' _

"You can't expect me to-"

"_Trust us,_ Rogue." Logan's voice was hard, but his eyes were earnest. "Look after Gumbo, he _needs_ you right now." Her shoulder sagged. '_No fair.'_ She thought bitterly, using Remy as a way to get her to sit tight. "Let us handle this now." She had a bad feeling. Two attacks in one day, they had to be related. Vargas wanted her, and all the diaries. He would find her whether she went with them or not. She stared at his black X-Suit.

"Be _careful_." She insisted, a hand over her chest. Logan nodded, Kitty placing her arm on her shoulder.

"We'll see ya later, okay?" Rogue frowned as they all disappeared in the elevator to the hangar.


End file.
